Bloodlust
by Necropolis demon
Summary: My name is Itachi…and I am a Vampire. This tale is a tale of love, forbidden in every aspect, opposed by many, my kin, your humanity, everyone, but love nonetheless…between a mortal and a vampire...brothers by birth...lovers by choice. ITASASU Itachi POV
1. Chapter 1

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, what in the world would possibly make anyone think that I did?

Necro: Itachi's a vampire telling a tale of love for his lil bro, what else is there to know?

--o00o--

**Bloodlust**

_In the cloak of darkness a creature of the night made his way through the foliage of grass and leaves, hunting his prey with hunger reflected in his blood-red eyes. A little boy, no older than ten ran as fast as his tiny bruised feet would let him, trying in vain to escape from the ominous figure gaining behind him. The chase had gone long enough for the mysterious hunter, with a swift movement he was gone without a trace. The boy stopped, sensing that his persecutor had gone, he sighed in relief._

_Then came the billowing cloak from above, the creature pounced._

_Fangs delved into tender flesh, blood poured out from the wound._

_And so the vampire drank…_

Rather morbid isn't it? To drink the blood of your brethren in order to survive, I mean. Let me assure you that I take no pride in it though I do not necessarily detest it.

Simply put, to me, I see it as natural, as natural as the cycle of human life. To live, to die, to exist, and then…to vanish. Others may think my ways are cruel, inhumane, or otherwise but I remain loyal to my views.

Good evening to you mortal. My name is Itachi…

…and I am a Vampire.

Laugh if you must. Cower if you fear. Do whatever is necessary to put a state of calm into your mind, to place a firm hold on reality as you stand before I, the undying. But please, do stay for a while…I have a tale to tell.

Don't be alarmed, I won't hurt you or feed on you, as you've witnessed I have just fed, you have my word. Rest assured that there was no pain for the young boy, why, I even disposed his body properly.

His beautiful corpse will be found tomorrow long before it decays and starts to rot and emit that horrid stench of death. It will be given a proper burial…I will make sure of that.

Sit down and be comfortable, this will be a rather long story as any story would be coming from a being that has lived for so long.

…now.

…This tale is a tale of love, forbidden in every aspect, opposed by many; my kin, your humanity, everyone, but love nonetheless…between a mortal and a vampire

But where should I begin? I see it best to start from my early years of mortality.

Yes…yes this love has indeed started before I became this…everlasting embodiment of seduction.

Let us begin.

o00o

I was a youthful boy back then, thirteen years old if I remember correctly, ah…so many decades have passed, I cannot even recall my exact age back then. But what is a number of years lived compared to afterlife?

Life was terrifyingly perfect for me as I was an Uchiha, a prodigy at that, a noble by all standards. My family was wealthy, powerful and influential, respected and honored and feared throughout the land. I lived in the largest residence in our private complex; we Uchihas had several homes you see, clustered together into a neighborhood to take up a relatively large portion of the whole village. The Uchiha homes were both grand and well-protected, we were absolutely untouchable.

Uchiha, a proud and prominent clan of government officials, dating back to centuries of loyalty to the country…and I, was the centerpiece of it all.

Uchiha Itachi, the boy genius, the prodigy, the perfect example of an Uchiha.

It was sickening…

…How those mongrels groveled and bowed down in fear before me…I was young, a boy, proud that I was I couldn't help but feel disgusted at the antics of the people around me who so had the nerve to have me view them as 'family'.

I had no family, no, they were never my family…they merely gloried in my presence, in my existence because I was a jewel, a precious and irreplaceable one-of-a-kind jewel to be flaunted to other families.

Uchiha. Uchiha. All for the glory of the clan…

To have lived only for such high expectations took so much from me, my mortal life as I view it now was a lie…those cheers, those praises…even the smiles of my beautiful mother and those congratulating words from my father…

…all of it was meaningless to me.

I was a boy in despair, forever locked up in a room of white, looking desperately for a window for salvation. I was broken, bleeding, in pain…

The only comfort I ever found was in my brother, my sweet innocent baby brother…

Sasuke…

The sound of his name rolls out of my tongue so beautifully…

He…my little brother, my ambitious and strong-willed brother who I knew envied but loved me more over…he was my anchor to sanity. Had it not been for his gestures of kindness, his meaningful words of admiration for me…I would have gone completely insane.

He was my warmth, and I mean this in the most explicit way…all the smiles and energy I could have had as a child had I lived a normal life lived in him, my savior…

My forbidden fruit.

From the way I speak of him, you can clearly see how important he is to me although I don't quite think I could ever muster the ability to admit it to others.

I loved him so much…adorable little boy that he was…only seven years of age in comparison to my thirteen.

It was wrong, but at the start I didn't know it.

There was another person close to me…in fact he served as comfort for me before Sasuke was born.

Yes, even in my earlier years, much earlier that what I speak of now, I was in pain.

Shisui, my cousin, was like an older brother to me. Like me, he was a genius, although everyone knew I was much superior, but back then, when there was only simplicity and childish ignorance between us, much more on his part of course, we were equals.

It was as if all the times I spent with him were normal…as close to normal as it could get for us.

I felt for him, but not in the way I felt for Sasuke later on. It was brotherly, and as we grew older and matured into fine young men that our family could be proud of, I realized for certain that Shisui was truly my best friend and that what I felt was the bond of our friendship.

Back then I had no clear idea of such warmth, I had difficulties classifying my feelings for people close to me, not that there were many.

Shisui was like a brother, he was simply always there for me to look up to and find solace in.

I remember, sometimes during warm summer days, we would go out for a nice picnic, all three of us: Shisui, Sasuke and I, looking like close brothers. I immensely enjoyed it all, Sasuke had a liking for Shisui as well, Shisui had always been the more animated of the two of us, I being rather quiet and brooding, at least he was a step closer to being normal and sociable.

But…somehow, along the way of our friendship, I began to loathe him secretly.

Whenever I was away, it was Shisui who played the role of loving older brother for Sasuke, he was rather good at it.

I soon grew jealous of him and his closeness to my brother…

Sasuke loved me more of course, but sometimes…I couldn't quite accept it as I looked on at Shisui's smiling face.

His smiles gradually became malicious and ill towards me, as if he knew a secret that I didn't. Such knowing looks from him made me want to tear him apart slowly…

Eventually…whenever I saw Shisui, I saw blood.

But I held back, pretending that nothing was off just so Sasuke, poor disillusioned Sasuke, would not have to worry about me.

Sweet child didn't suspect a thing.

I was utterly ready to allow myself to put up facades with Shisui for the rest of my life if only to keep Sasuke happy, until I found out about his little secret.

Dreadful as it was, I still mourn my course of action upon discovering it…as it was this move that led me to the first chapter of my tragedy.

o00o

The sun was slowly delving into a sunset, casting a fading yellow glow across the pink tinted sky of that afternoon's end. The view of this has always been breath-taking for me since I've never had much spare time in my hands to allow myself the quiet opportunity alone to watch sunsets. But for once in a very long time, I managed to free myself from my father's lectures early. It went without question that I immediately went to the lake where I oft find my little brother playing in the grass.

I crossed the small wooden foot bridge and walked through the stone path of the flower gardens, taking little notice to the new flowers that had begun to spring to life after my mother's daily care of them. The sounds of a child's giggling soon reached me and I felt a carefree sigh about to escape my lips, but then as I silently walked up to surprise Sasuke with my presence, I found him with none other than that wretched cousin of mine.

They were together…indecently.

That abysmal excuse of a best friend was half-naked and had his hands crawling under my brother's clothes, touching heated flesh. He was placing soft meaningful kisses on my brother's neck, slowly moving downwards to where I shan't continue to narrate to you.

And my little brother, sweet Sasuke of mine, had no idea of how wrong this was…he giggled as a child does, thinking that they were playing an innocent game of tickling and giggling.

"S-stop, I-I can't breathe…it, it feels weird there." I heard Sasuke gasp in mid-laughter.

Oh…the wickedness of it all…

A man I had once treated as a brother and an innocent boy, limbs tangled together, sweat intermingling with each other's flesh, shocks of pleasure shooting through that bastard's body, Sasuke's face flushed…I couldn't stand it anymore.

I was furious…yet strangely aroused by all this…but anger overpowered my desire.

"Shisui! Get off of my brother!" menacing as always I spoke, a slight tinge of hatred apparent in my usually calm voice. But I didn't care that I was breaking down my composed air, all I cared about was keeping Sasuke in my arms and that filth's blood on my hands. I truly, truly saw blood this time.

"Itachi!" surprised and mortified at my sudden appearance, Shisui quickly got to his feet, grabbing his discarded robe and clutching it to himself fearfully.

I glared at him, fully intent on making him pay for his treachery, I was mad, completely and utterly mad…sanity seemed a far away thing for me at that moment.

"Aniki! You're here!" I looked to where Sasuke was sitting up, a smile plastered on his adorable face. Oh Sasuke…

"Sasuke, go back home please, it's getting dark."

"But, I wanted to play with you Aniki!" the boy pouted. Ah…I just love the way he calls me 'Aniki', big brother…

"Go home Sasuke, Aniki and Shisui have something important to discuss." A pity I had to use the term 'Aniki' in this scenario. Sasuke pouted once more then came up to me to give me a nice hug before turning towards the traitor to give him a goodbye wave.

"Sasuke."

"Yes Aniki?"

"…I want to speak to you after dinner. Also, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell mother and father about your afternoon today."

My words confused him, "Why not? Did…did something bad happen? What is it that you want to talk about?"

"Later." I was on the verge of hitting Shisui, my knuckles were trembling but fortunately Sasuke didn't notice, "I'll tell you all about it later so just go home and wait for me."

"All right, I love you!" with that, Sasuke trodded towards home, oblivious to what was going to happen between Shisui and I.

…little brother, your words of love wounded me as they were far from the love I so wanted from you.

Once Sasuke was beyond earshot I turned to Shisui and gave him my most scathing glare, but I think he hadn't had enough time to notice it as my fist collided with his jaw too quick.

…I…couldn't help myself…honest, I couldn't…my fist kept pounding on him, I couldn't see anymore beyond the veil of loathing. It was at that moment that I realized just how much I despised Shisui, I was so dangerously close to killing him then and there.

He tried to fight back or at least defend himself from my blows, I could see it in his fearing eyes…he knew he could die by my hands, he really did, and so he did everything he could to flee from me.

We were on the grass now, I was straddling him and pummeling him to the dirt, his groans of pain were muffled by my blood-stained hand covering his mouth. Somewhere along the beating, some specs of his blood stained my clothes..

Sweat. Grime. Tears. Blood…all over him.

I was a mad man.

The sun by then had completely disappeared and night came…cloudless…

…starless…

Empty.

…to this day I think that…somehow…subconsciously, I held back on my punches…that perhaps deep inside of me a speck of optimism lived, hoping that perhaps Shisui was still my best friend…I was a desperate man who had no one but my brother…I really truly hoped to myself that I could salvage Shisui…

…that night, as his groans of suffering faded and my fists finally rested…I let him live.

I couldn't kill him, no, I couldn't.

But I couldn't forgive him as well…

The image of him touching what was mine still burns to this day in my mind's eye…the pain was too unbearable.

Still…that traitor lived.

I left him there alone on the grass. Bloody as he was I still managed to threaten him into keeping his mouth shut before he lost consciousness. He wouldn't have dared to tell anyone about our little brawl, otherwise I would've exposed him for taking advantage of Sasuke.

Sasuke…

When I came home for dinner that night Sasuke was already there at the table waiting anxiously for me to take my seat beside him as I usually do. Our parents weren't home, at a clan meeting I suspected. We ate in companionable silence, just the two of us, making very little sounds with only our barely audible chews and sips along with the occasional clash of chopsticks with rice bowls.

For a child Sasuke was rather mature, he could tell I was tired and hadn't ushered me to answer questions about what happened earlier, this I am most thankful for. After dinner I went upstairs silently and slipped into my bedroom, not bothering to change out of my daytime clothes.

That was a grave mistake.

I remember, although vaguely as I was supposedly half-asleep at the time, Sasuke sneaking into my room to perhaps check on me. I had the feeling that he was acting a tad bit too clueless at dinner, not even bothering to take a closer look at the small crescent-shaped wounds on my arms that had been inflicted by Shisui's nails embedding themselves into my flesh as he had struggled to break away from my grip earlier. I am certain that he had spotted the barely visible specs of blood on my clothes and from that must've certainly drawn his conclusions.

Foolish little brother…do you not understand the fact that I do not wish for you to know these things? That I wish to keep you ignorant of such indecencies and malice and conflict?

I slept most uncomfortably that night, being plagued by dreams Shisui's betrayal of me and Sasuke's innocence being threatened.

It is safe to say that I might as well have stayed up all night.

o00o

Necro: Guys. I'm new to Naruto ok so don't go all bitch-fitty on me coz I bruise easily. Hehe. XD. REvIeW pLeAsE!!!


	2. Chapter 2

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did…well, it'd be all about gay ninjas.

Necro: second chap up, I'm glad people liked the first one, thanks guys!

--o00o--

**Bloodlust**

It was raining outside when I woke up…

That morning was miserable with the skies dark as if they were mourning for my soul. I was still dressed in the clothes I wore the day before, my hair was disheveled and my eyes were solemn, such uncouthness was unlike me but I hadn't the energy to care.

Images of that…that…wickedness were still clouding my mind, confusing me as to what I should feel. I knew for a fact that the anger was justified, and the pain of being betrayed made sense to me as well.

…but the strange sensation, I did not understand.

…the strange sensation that was there every time I closed my eyes and saw Sasuke's small frame glistening in sweat as he panted and squirmed from the clutches of…

Knock.

I blinked out of my reverie, someone was outside my room.

"Aniki? Are you awake? Your breakfast is getting cold." Spoke Sasuke, a tinge of worry beneath his words.

"I'm awake now Otouto," I replied, shrugging out of my clothes and dressing myself into something more appropriate. I combed back the long strands of raven hair from my face, noticing the weary lines I had.

Those lines have always been there, those two lines that showed how constantly troubled I was. They were much like age lines and I have been told that I looked rather mature for my age thanks to them.

…well I suppose there was no helping in that.

"Aniki? May I…have a word with you? Before we join Mother and Father at the table." At this, Sasuke entered my room as I was tying back my hair.

"What is it?"

"It…it's about, I…" innocent eyes traveled to the floor as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, "well…"

I could sense the discomfort radiating from my brother, so I spoke.

"Is this about Shisui?" I said, my voice even and relaxed as if talking about some miniscule event.

From the way he raised his head and looked into my eyes, I could tell he was surprised. The adorable look of bewilderment on his face made me smile inwardly.

"Y-yes, How?"

"It has been troubling me as well Otouto."

Sasuke's expression became saddened at the mention of this, "I…did I do something wrong Aniki?"

Ah…such a sweet and innocent child, Sasuke, oh how you make my heart ache…

"You did no such, Otouto. It was Shisui who wronged you, wronged us in fact." I replied.

"How so?" came his naïve query.

I gave a sigh and gestured for him to come close. With his tiny steps he approached until he stood before me, looking up and expectantly at me, the brother whose very presence filled him with much awe…I smiled to myself at the thought.

Slowly, I knelt before him, gingerly placing my hands on both of his shoulders…his clear ebony eyes looked at me…

"Sasuke. I don't want you to play with Shisui anymore. I forbid you from spending time with him, and I most certainly don't want you to be left alone with him, do you understand?"

My poor confused Sasuke, all he could do was nod.

"I don't ever want to see you with him. He has ill-intentions and has malice towards me. Understand this Sasuke, understand the fact that I do not want you hurt-"

"But Aniki! We were only playing!" at this sudden outburst, I placed a finger upon his lips to silence him.

This hushed him for the moment…

I spoke once more, "Sasuke…"

"Listen to me and trust my judgment in people…I have known Shisui far longer than you. Don't ask me any more of these things, just have faith in me and be wary of him…all right? Do this for your Aniki."

…One of the things I love the most about my Otouto is his sheer devotion to me…he really does worship me so much that he did as I asked and did not question me further. His small arms wrapped themselves lovingly around my neck as I carried him all the way downstairs.

He gave me no stubborn looks as we ate our breakfast, and he most certainly did not sulk as he passed me an extra bowl of rice.

…He really is the most perfect little brother.

And I love him for that…

Now, understand that at this point in my life, I hadn't realized that I was…how you say, romantically attracted to my little brother. Oh, no, I had no fixed thought of such. But I do know that around that time I was starting to develop a bond with my brother deeper and stronger than any brotherly ties. The strings that bound me together with him were tight, selfish if you may…

Ah, but what a brother he was back then at such a tender age, so curious, so…utterly Sasuke.

He never doubted me you know.

When I said "Do this for your Aniki", he and I knew that questions and answers were not needed.

He truly…never doubted me…

Except for when…something else came to light…

This…incident which I am about to speak of…well…I will leave you to judge the strength of our bonds…whether it was Sasuke who turned away from me or I from him.

o00o

It was Shisui again…Shisui who wrought trouble for me again.

This happened roughly two days after my brawl with him, that day Sasuke and I were sitting quietly outside by the small fish pond, just quietly sitting there watching the koi fish swim around in their little abode.

A man, one of my Uncles actually, came to our house asking for me. This Uncle of mine, well, I can't say I was very fond of him as he was Shisui's father and had the tendency to dislike me for being as I was…

A prodigy…

…A prodigy on a much higher level than his son.

You can see why he has reason to hate me, although he pretended that he did not…the conceited fool.

But enough of that, as I was telling you, Shisui's father, my Uncle came to our house in search of me. He was not alone mind you, as he was accompanied by two officers in hopes of intimidating me.

As if he could.

We sat in a room, bare and floored with the tatami mats my father was so fond of, just the four of us since Sasuke had been ushered away for privacy. My Uncle sat across me, his two guards sitting obediently behind him, and I sat alone in front of them, acting the gracious host.

"To what do I owe this visit?" I asked, passive as always.

The fool's hands clenched in silent frustration before relaxing, "Uchiha Itachi, it is a widely known fact that you are rivals with Uchiha Shisui, my son, is it not?" he asked, ah…so direct to the point he was.

Calmly, I replied, "Shisui is the one who makes that claim, I merely see him as my cousin and once, my best friend."

"Why was he 'once' your 'best friend' Itachi? Are you telling us that he no longer serves as your 'friend'? Is that it?"

"He sees me as his rival and thinks it best to treat me as one, he was the one who chose to sever our relationship and for that I am unperturbed. Tell me, what is the meaning of all this? Why have you come here, with guards may I add, to ask me these questions?"

My Uncle was about to speak up but one of the officers intervened, "Tell us, Uchiha Itachi, have you been in good terms with Uchiha Shisui?" 

"I've been civil to him"

"Then there is no animosity between the two of you?"

"We keep our distance and acknowledge each other. Now officers, answer my question, what are you really doing here asking me these things?" I said, this time I held a firm look; no one ever defied me when I gave off such a look.

"Uchiha Itachi" spoke the other officer, "you are a prime suspect for the murder of Uchiha Shisui."

"…" I was speechless, "what? Murder you say?"

I was clueless to this murder but apparently my stupid Uncle thought otherwise as he raged on, "My son has been killed! Brutally murdered! And I have reason to believe that it was you! You who did such a heinous act!" oh how he dared to accuse me!

"And what is the basis of this finger pointing?" I spoke evenly, "You are aware of how heavy this accusation is, are you not, Uncle?"

By this time he was fuming, "You! You killed him! Slit his throat and carved out his heart! I know you did it! No one else has a motive! You are a Murderer! Of your own kin!"

A Murderer…of my own kin…

This man, was one of the few who ever, ever angered me. But I kept silent as he ranted on and on about how I must've been jealous of Shisui's achievements and of how I must've plotted to kill him so that I could be the true prodigy.

Stupid. Idiotic. Uncle.

Everyone already acknowledged me as the true and superior prodigy of the Uchiha clan, perhaps he was talking about his own son's thoughts?

"Officers, Uncle, I assure you, I did not kill Shisui. He may have hated me, and I will not lie, his hate for me has fueled my hate for him as well, but I would never bring myself to murder him. How you insult me with such childish accusations! You've made a fool of yourself in this house, dear Uncle. For your loss, I mourn for you. As for Shisui, I will pay my respects and mourn for him as well…his death, was unexpected…now please, leave me be…I must deliver this horrible news to my little brother who so loved Shisui as I once had." With that I turned my back from them and left without another word.

I opened the sliding doors and there was Sasuke who looked up in surprise with unshed tears in his eyes. Such sadness in his eyes pained me…

He got up from where he had been eavesdropping and ran from me as if I had struck him most viciously.

…I am deeply sorry Sasuke…yes, yes I did hate Shisui…no, I did not show it to you…yes, I admit I tolerated him for you…yes, I was jealous of how close he was to you…no, he was more jealous of me…and yes…

…Yes, I admit that I am not sad for his death.

This incident…marked the beginning of the end of brotherly bonds. Here is where Sasuke began to doubt me…

With what he overheard and with the specs of blood he found on my clothes before…

I could not blame him for his uncertainties.

I would think I killed Shisui too.

o00o

So on and so forth the authorities brought up evidence and information. Shisui's body had been found floating in the river, the throat was slit and indeed his heart had been carved out…all this was done while he was still alive.

Even today in my immorality, I wonder how he must've felt seeing his murderer clutching his pulsing heart as he slowly died from blood loss.

Why…I didn't even know such a thing could be done.

Furthermore, water was found in his stomach and lungs which meant that the murder attempted to drown him but then decided to mutilate him instead.

Brilliant, drowning him would've been less spectacular.

Other than drops of blood on the grass and some unknown strand of black hair, there was no other evidence, nothing resembling a murder weapon was found and there were no clues that could point us to this savage killer.

Just a strand of black hair…

Long black hair, about the same length as mine…

It might've belonged to a woman but a woman would never be able to kill Shisui in such a grotesque manner.

…No wonder the authorities thought it was me.

Also, after I had beaten the life out of Shisui, he'd been quite vocal with his hate for me upon arriving home…so vocal that the servants heard him muttering my name in loathing.

Shisui, you idiot…how dare you die so conveniently.

By the time the news reached the villagers, the whole clan thought for certain that it was me.

Sad isn't it? How your own flesh and blood would betray you all because they knew you were powerful and to be feared.

How I despise them all, they, they were lower than the common peasant.

Even my parents thought that it was me…they shunned me.

I was a disgrace to them now…

Only my brother, yes, my Sasuke, did not glare so heatedly at me. He was worried, but that was because he was trying to disprove what others thought of me…that I was a Murderer.

It was then that I realized that I would always have Sasuke, even if the whole world would cheer for my death and steal my possessions or desiccate my grave Sasuke would be there to mourn for me…he would be there.

Always…

…

…do forgive me.

It still touches my heart, his care for me, his wicked Aniki…today I hunt and kill but with each death I bring my thoughts always wander to him and his smile and how close to death I had once brought him…

…please…allow me a moment to rest…I feel as if telling this part of my tale will weaken me. I need to sit down and brace myself.

I'm looking rather paler than usual…It seems I haven't fed enough…

Would you mind if I drank from you?

…Oh come now, I was joking, really.

And yes, I do have a sense of humor, however morbid and cynical it may be.

…But don't push your luck mortal, only my Sasuke has the courtesy to laugh at me.

o00o

Necro: chap 2 for you. Don't forget to leave a review. And yeah, I know you'd want Itachi to drink from you. Review please.


	3. Chapter 3

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I own not Naruto, merely the plot of this fic.

Necro: Sigh…yeah, about the last part of chap 2, I just put that there coz the whole chap seemed too…I dunno, conspiracy-thingy? Hehe, enjoy the chapter.

--o00o--

**Bloodlust**

My family, as I've already told you, was extremely influential but with this we became the target of many. We've made powerful enemies through the years and it was common knowledge to everyone that countless have wanted to do us harm simply because of the fact that we were stronger.

Our status was known throughout the lands, and everyday people thought of how we managed to fend off so many adversaries.

With our power came our wit for negotiations.

This is what happened to me, I don't know if I could say that this was my worst or best use of logic in a situation.

Exactly a week after Shisui's body had been buried, rumors and accusations still circulated, suspicious glowers always followed my every move and with every turn I would find myself the object of gossip between the old maids. It was nothing I couldn't handle though, these hateful glances, I still had my anchor and that was all that mattered.

As long as even just one person believed in me, these people could not hurt me.

Night time, I ate silently with my parents refusing to look at me and my Otouto sneaking worried glances at me. I wasn't very hungry so I excused myself and left for a walk outside.

It was ironic that the place where my feet had taken me to was the site for Shisui's death, by the tranquil river where only the occasional blow of the wind against grass could be heard. That night…the moon witnessed my encounter with true Evil.

"Uchiha Itachi." A voice whispered into my ear, snake-like and sinister.

…I hadn't sensed this stranger's presence behind me…this, was a first.

Cold hands placed themselves upon my wrists, restricting me from making any movement. Lips that kissed death whispered once more into my ears…

"Are you happy that he's dead Itachi-kun?" this voice said to me.

I swear…it was like conversing with the Devil. His long black hair flowed with the wind, seemingly engulfing me with shadows as it brushed against my cheeks here and there from behind.

We were silent for a moment…this man, no…creature that held me with death's grip…here he was…the one who had killed Shisui in cold blood…

And he knew my name.

…I feared for my life then.

"Your heart is beating beautifully…can you hear it Itachi-kun?" it spoke once more, resting his chin upon my head. Male, I thought, the voice was definitely male…and this…being…he was taller, an adult…yes.

Eventually I was able to regain my composure, "Who are you?" I asked, thankful for how poised my voice sounded.

…He laughed at me, apparently pleased, and then turned me around to face him.

At the sight of him I thought for sure I was face to face with a demon, his skin was like cold to the touch like marble, and it seemed dead like that of a fresh corpse's. His eyes, they were yellow and serpentine much like his whole façade.

Not human. Unholy. Evil.

"What…are you?" I asked him, nearly gasping out loud as his eyes searched mine for fear…but fortunately I had managed to calm myself and face him with no such weakness.

"You really are a brave one, quite intelligent as well. Did you enjoy my gift? I was going to dismember him for you and chop his body into bits but I didn't have a sack to put his limbs into." He said casually, a smirk on his face as he studied me.

"So you were the one who murdered Shisui. Why did you do it? And what is this thing about a gift? You are a mad man."

Again…he laughed mockingly at my choice of words, 'man'? Honestly, what was I thinking?

"You hated him for touching your brother, and I know you wanted to punish him…so I did it properly for you. All of that…just, for, you…Itachi-kun."

Oh despicable fiend, I've never felt such strong murderous intent.

"Answer my question, what are you? And what business do you have with my clan?"…his lips ghosted upon mine as he answered.

"I am Orochimaru, a vampire…and a lonely one at that."

Vampire…I had read about those…but a Vampire in the East? Surely you know how strange this sounded to me. Back then, these Vampires were characters of myth from foreign lands, from the West.

"I've been watching you and your brother for a while. In all my travels I have never found such an interesting pair like you and your Otouto…my you've both captivated me…especially your precious Otouto."

My eyes widened, "Don't you dare lay your hands on my brother!" I would've said more, threatened to kill him too, but how does one kill the undead? Though surely there were pains worse than death.

As it was, I was a mere thirteen year old boy, strong, witty, but no match against an immortal such as this Orochimaru character.

I couldn't make a move…he would have had me dead before I could inflict any damage.

"For a while, I've been watching you both…just to see which one of you I would take." This statement caught me by surprise.

"You see, Vampires…we tend to get lonely by ourselves…such loneliness could drive us to madness and eventually lead to suicidal thoughts…yes, spending eternity alone could lead to such things, we could choose to end our so-called lives…but you see Itachi-kun, I don't want to die…ever."

"So you are searching for humans to keep you company? Don't make me laugh! We'd burn you to ashes whilst you slumber!"

"Close Itachi-kun…very close indeed. But it is not human companionship I seek" he said, once again a malicious glint showed in those menacing yellow eyes.

"I'm looking for…a fledgling of sorts…one that I will bring over to my side…" his dead lips grazed against mine, a tongue slipped through and gave a playful lick at me.

I wanted to bite it off…but that wouldn't have been very clever.

"Itachi-kun…do you think your little brother would like to spend eternity with me?"

…such audacity, this Vampire with a serpent's tongue! I might have been trembling in anger at his words.

"He would make a fine Vampire, so painfully beautiful that one…just imagine it Itachi-kun, your brother dressed in the finest garments that could be bought, parading through the streets with a face like that only to hunt for blood, forever the youthful porcelain doll with the help of my immortal kiss."

…I met him with silence, there was no use humoring such a vile creature…

And he still had his arms wrapped dangerously around me. How mortifyingly sick.

"How about it Itachi-kun? I want you but…your little brother's naivety is just too irresistible. Perhaps I should take the both of you, yes?" he drawled.

"Don't play games with me Vampire, we would rather kill ourselves than be your playthings!"

Mockingly he replied, "You would let your precious little brother kill himself?"

No…I couldn't, and that manifestation of evil knew I couldn't.

"If you take the both of us and give us your curse of immortality, do you not think that we would turn against you?" I said to him, thinking that if I could not kill this Vampire in battle then my only choice would be to outwit him.

He thought for a moment and weighed his options, of course, I made a valid point.

"Also, my Otouto, if taken, would rather kill himself…without me there, who would stop him? I would never let my brother kill himself so your only choice is to take me as well or leave me dead, in both cases it's either we kill you or we kill ourselves. Think it over…we fascinate you, you'll never find potential fledglings such as us."

He froze in realization, the old fool…he let me control him with his weakness. But then I realized a fatal error in my logic.

"So…you would let your brother kill himself…all right, why don't I just kill him in front of you? Perhaps in the same way as I killed your cousin?" his malevolent smirk widened…he had caught me off guard.

"Death by one's own hand can be painless…but would you really let me kill your brother? You should've seen your cousin at my mercy, practically crying out blood…I've tortured many innocents Itachi-kun, you don't know how much pleasure runs through my body whenever I see such angelic creatures hanged with their own intestines, it's a rather fascinating image…would you like me to kill your brother in such a way? Even if you do end up killing yourself, rendering yourself useless to me…well, at least I'll have the memory of your sweet Otouto's blood-curdling screams as I impale him with knives and gouge out his eyes."

…the horror of it all, these threats of his…I felt ill.

"Imagine it Itachi-kun, your little brother…naked on a bed of silken sheets…his body a canvass for me to paint on with blood…and as he screams for his Aniki, I cut off his tongue and feed it to him…yes…a memory such as that would be worth dying for…"

"Enough! Do what you will with me, but leave Sasuke be." There was nothing I could do, I knew there was a loophole I could tinker with but sacrificing my self was necessary to ensure my brother's life. I couldn't pretend to not be disturbed by these threats…this creature was immortal and sinful, guiltless and insane, what other choice did I have?

He released his hold on me, knowing that I would not dare strike. A fish in the river stirred as my heart pulsed rapidly. Caught between the choice of dying or becoming the undead, I chose the latter…all for my brother.

…Otouto…here, I made my deal with the Devil, just for you.

"I propose an agreement." I said to the creature, malice radiating from him. He raised a brow at me in wonder; apparently I'd piqued his interest.

"I will follow you, become that which you are, and I will not fight back nor will I attempt to flee from this. But you must promise me several things. Do you accept my proposal?"

"Swear yourself to me…an interesting idea, I am listening."

"My Otouto is to be left alone, therefore, you will not harm him in any such way." He nodded in understanding as I continued, "I ask for a few more years before you take away my mortal life, allow me to watch as my Otouto grows enough to be able to take care of himself, only then, when I am certain that he is capable of being left alone will I give myself to you."

"Very well, I agree to your terms Uchiha Itachi. Now for mine" at this I sneered, I never said anything about him making his own terms, "I will only wait for three years, on this very day three years later will I come to claim you as mine. On this very day, three years from now, you are to die and become a Vampire."

"We shall leave this village and never return, and you are to sever all connections you have to your mortal life. You will be dead to everyone. You will leave them to grieve in front of an empty grave."

I contemplated deeply, I would have to die and leave the life I led…but then…all I had to begin with was Sasuke…everything was for him and him alone. In order for him to live…I had to die.

The confident and fearless tone of my voice when I gave him my answer did not faze me. I knew what I was rendering my self to.

"I accept."

A cloud in the night sky passed over the moon, casting an eerie shadow upon the riverside, when the moon emerged once more from the curtain of the night, the Vampire had vanished.

Only then, when I knew he was truly gone did I feel the small tremors of fear racing throughout my body. I was truly frightened, as any child would be…such a brush against death it was. My legs never gave out as I ran back home.

From that moment on, I had forfeited my life…I couldn't have cared less about my mortal problems, those dilemmas of mine concerning my family's accusations. There was only Sasuke to worry about, only Sasuke whom I had to raise and prepare for life.

Three years…to have him ready by his tenth birthday.

Three years…to watch him mature and become strong.

Three years…to savor till I die for him.

Three years…were simply not enough, but it would have to do.

From that point I made a firm decision to devote myself wholly to my brother's life, I vowed that I would be the mentor he would need…that I would be the one who would teach him to excel and become greater than me…

Mold him into the finest Uchiha .

o00o

So simple…it was such a simple task to turn my little brother into the Prodigy he'd always wanted to be. I always knew he had talent for many. Once, I watched him practicing his calligraphy with those graceful hands of his. Father always thought that it was I or Shisui who made all those magnificent wall scrolls that boldly said 'Honor thy Family and Glorify' or such in Japanese Kanji.

All he ever needed was the right teacher who would teach him these things…it was no wonder that he was so dedicated in his studies under my tutelage, it seems that no one even thought of teaching him these various things.

His talents would have been wasted had I not interfered.

As Sasuke learned from me, I slowly etched myself away from the public eye, choosing to stay within our residence instead of pursuing more knowledge. I already knew more than enough anyways.

It was wonderful to finally see my Otouto receive the recognition and praise he deserved. Everybody constantly chattered about him being 'just like Itachi' although they were not quite certain if that was a completely good thing. Although there was no concrete evidence that could lead to a valid accusation against me for being Shisui's Murderer, the Uchiha clan, my so-called kin truly believed that it was me and that I was far too cunning to leave anything that would justify their suspicions.

They all thought that I was laughing in the inside at their stupidity for not being able to apprehend me…As if I really killed the traitor, idiots.

I also worried a bit about Sasuke though, it was true that he was becoming more and more like me, getting the respect of many and the admiration of others in his class…but he gradually became brooding and silent just as I was. Little by little I could see him acting as I would, indifferent and untouchable.

It was a frightening thought to me…the idea that this Prodigy would become like his cold-hearted brother.

I confronted him about this once. He was already eight around that time heading closely to nine. We were in my bedroom as was usual with our tutoring sessions, I was dressed in a simple white yukata with my hair loose and over one shoulder since I had no further need for outdoor clothing or such formalities, and he was there sitting patiently on my lap.

When I told him what I feared he would become he just shook his head in denial and said that I was not a bad person. He kept telling me and reassuring me that I had nothing to do with that dreadful killing and that I was a good Aniki. I was absolutely mortified by all this, my guilt ate away at my soul as I could not tell Sasuke that I indeed had some connection to Shisui's murder and that indeed I played some part in the murderer's motive.

But I couldn't tell him that, no…I couldn't tell him a Vampire killed his cousin as a gesture for me.

I recall him crying that night, yes it was night…with a full moon I think…and cherry blossoms blowing gently in the wind outside beyond the blinds in my moonlit room…he wept and sniffled quietly onto my chest as I lovingly combed my fingers through his soft spiky hair. He told me that he was sad for me, sad for my sorrow and how awful I must've felt.

So woeful, these sounds of his lament for me I mean…

He eventually cried himself to sleep while on my lap…I remember placing a tender kiss on his forehead as I brushed away a few stray hairs…

I remember…how his hands refused to let go of my robe as I laid him comfortably on my bed…

And…I remember the sounds of his slow and even breathing as he slept in my arms…

The whisper of 'I Love You' as he dreamt peacefully…

o00o

Necro: REVIEW GUYS AND MAKE IT FUN, I like reading interesting and funny reviews. Btw, I've still got Writer's block.


	4. Chapter 4

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine…yeah, life sucks.

Necro: I'd like to thank my readers especially those who reviewed, I'm glad to be a source of entertainment for you guys. Hehe.

--o00o--

**Bloodlust**

Watching Sasuke grow as time passed was both my greatest joy and most painful days, not a day went by that I did not think of the course of our fate. It was mortifying to know when I was going to die, but what was more heart-wrenching to me was the fact that I would never have the opportunity to see my brother become a man. Ten years old would be the eldest I'd see him, and after that I would have to forever disappear from his life.

I cannot count the sleepless nights I spent contemplating this…

The years flew by all too quickly for me that it seemed futile to remember, though there were some events I noted for the sake of memories. I recall a few civil wars that had sprung in the West, moving slowly to the East during my three-year wait. There was also that rumor about a government official's wife being murdered for some treacherous act she'd committed against the government.

But on a lighter note, there was that one time when Sasuke played his flute with me for a ritual dance.

I remember that at age nine, Sasuke developed a liking for juicy tomatoes, why this was so I never figured.

I witnessed how he grew to love reading and how he liked quiet afternoons by the pond…

…how he hated having to sit and listen to Father's long discussions that came randomly…

…how he enjoyed helping Mother with her chores every other day…

Now…you might think that nothing eventful happened to me during this gap, well, let me tell you a few things then…

I matured into a fine young man of average height and build. I thought I looked much like my stern father and often said to myself that in a few years, if given such time, I would be his very image.

But that's not very important now is it? Well…there is one other thing you might find interesting.

When I was fourteen moving to fifteen I had a dream…now, it is not the dream that I consider eventful since I cannot even remember what it was, but that night as I lay asleep in my bed, I dreamt of the pleasures of the flesh and woke up to find myself breathing hard, drenched in sweat and covered with my virgin seed.

That was the night I became a man.

Shortly after this, my Father arranged for me several meetings with distant blood relatives. It turned out to be some sort of nefarious plot to have me marry one of their daughters. Autumn of my fifteenth year, I met my betrothed who was a rather shy and unexciting girl but was considered to be the best they could offer.

Sasuke was not very happy during these days, choosing to secretly watch over me and my fiancé though I always knew he was there hiding behind some screen door or behind some trunk of a nearby tree.

It was rather amusing to see him in such a distressed state. He was quite adorably envious of the amount of time I spent with my future wife, although this bonding time was forced mind you.

On my sixteenth birthday, of which there was no celebration since I was as you call it the 'black sheep', I told Father that I refused to marry the woman they had chosen for me. Outraged, my father slapped me across the face and told me how much of a disgrace to the family I was. Mother wept as she held my brother close…they both witnessed how Father threatened to disown me, saying that I was no longer fit to be his son and that I had gone down the path of dishonor the very day I killed Shisui.

To tell you the truth, I was tired of this. You can picture how dreadfully difficult it was for me to keep silent after all these insults and of him bringing up that wild accusation.

I was about to strike back but Sasuke came up to me with tears in his eyes, mouthing 'no' to me…

That one look of desperation from him was enough to break me down, I hugged him close and listened to him sobbing quietly…Father just looked at me one last time and left the room. Mother followed him shortly.

All right, now that we are done with that part of my mortal life, let us move on to the beginning of my immortal one shall we?

o00o

Shisui's death anniversary was a silent affair, on this day we always visited his grave which was dug somewhere in our family's cemetery. Every year since his death, we would come on this very day and offer flowers and prayers. I received many scathing looks from family, except Sasuke, on this day every single year since they all blamed me for his death. I didn't want to attend these things but as part of the clan I was expected to.

Another reason I didn't want to attend this year was because this day served as a reminder of my deal with the Devil. That specific day, on my sixteenth year was worse…

…my time was inevitably close.

One week was all I had left.

I spent most of my time thinking of life and how it would be had I not met Orochimaru. But it was unavoidable, this predicament of mine. My parents noticed the change in my behavior that week, however subtle it might've been. Sasuke was the one who brought it up to them, saying how little I ate and how often I stared blankly at the sky as if waiting for something.

That night, exactly a week after the anniversary, we all sat for dinner much like we did all those years ago when I had given them no shame. We ate silently as if nothing was off until finally my Father spoke.

"Itachi, we have noticed a difference in your behavior these days. What has brought this on?" he asked. Somehow I wanted to hit him with my bowl for pretending he wasn't disgusted. I knew he thought that I was just causing trouble, thereby worrying Sasuke.

But I did not strike him. I simply sat there and looked at him then replied, "Nothing, nothing is wrong with me Father."

"You are clearly troubled. Seeing you like this not only affects us but your brother as well, now tell us what is wrong with you?" he said once more, this time a little more forcefully than needed.

Again, I went with denial and told him not worry about me.

My parents had enough with me and chose to leave me be, Sasuke on the other hand grew more concerned but knew better than to push me. I excused myself from the table and went outside without another word.

It…was time.

At first I thought of preparing my things, perhaps some clothes and such but decided not to. I would've looked like I ran away from home and I did not want to be remembered as the coward who fled dishonorably. Instead I just walked on towards my impending end, dressed in nothing more than my pristinely white yukata and my hair neatly tied back with a white ribbon of silk.

I must've looked like an offering to the demons that night to anyone who might've seen me, covered in white and all with a solemn expression on my face.

Well…that night I really was.

For several minutes I waited there on the exact same spot where the deal had been made, somehow I hoped to myself that the Vampire would not come, that he would forget our agreement and about us siblings…that he would just choose to leave us be.

As if on cue that vile creature appeared in front of me, crushing all dreams of freedom.

I will never forget that look of lust in his eyes as he looked at me, matured after three years of waiting. He licked his lips and beckoned for me to come to him, reluctantly I did. Standing in front of him, I could not help but feel like a helpless rodent being eyed upon by the vicious snake. His eyes scanned me thoroughly and piercingly, never breaking away.

"Itachi-kun, you've grown so much…" he said in that airy way of speech he uses, yes…yes, he was indeed a snake.

"Remember our agreement, you will not harm Sasuke."

"But of course." With that he grinned and I noticed for the first time the two sharp fangs he had. Without another moment of delay, he sunk his teeth into the unmarred flesh of my neck, bleeding me for all I was worth.

It was madness…this pleasure I felt, more wonderful than the feeling I had that night, years ago when I soiled my sheets with seed. Everything was a blur to me, the stars watching overhead faded from vision…I was in such rapturous ecstasy!

I forgot myself, forgot who was giving me this sensation…all there was for me was the pleasure…yes, yes, more!

"Ugh! Agh! Damn…" I was hot all over, blushing furiously as my excitement heightened even more.

For a second, I felt the pain and weakness of blood loss…he had stopped.

And I felt dizzy and dying, the whole world spun before my eyes…I felt cold, cold as death…

Then he spoke, "Itachi-kun, I've drained you of your blood and you are dying from this. Once I give you my blood, you will slowly become as I am…but for at least a full day, your body will be dead and cold, your heart will beat but it will be so painfully slow that whoever finds you will think you to be dead."

Rather interesting…this way of death…

"When they find you, you will be in a deep slumber but aware of everything around you. They will put you into your coffin and then bury you during the day, as soon as night comes and everyone has left you to your eternal rest, I shall come for you and together we shall flee. Do you understand?"

My head was too fogged but I understood and nodded.

He smirked once again, licking my blood off his lips. Then with his fang he bit down on his lower lip, drawing blood.

I was a lifeless body in his arms, I couldn't even move. Slowly he held me close and placed his bleeding lips upon mine.

It was then that I tasted it, this sinful taste of an immortal's blood.

My eyes opened wide at the sensation, this blood of his was calling for me, and so I came.

I kissed him brutally, and desperately…I wanted more of that taste! My once weak hands held him forcefully as I drank from him. Yes, yes…more, I wanted, no, needed more!

It was unbelievable, this impure blood.

So sinfully addictive…

With a gasp I released him, my heartbeat seemed gone but I could still hear it, it was slow but there. Looking up I saw the Vampire wiping the blood off his lips, his knees were buckling, weakened by my hunger for him. We eyed each other, gasping and taking in small breaths as we tried to pace ourselves.

Oh the internal turmoil I felt! Having lost my self-control…

The feeling was exhilarating at first, these initial moments of receiving the Vampire's blood, and then…I suddenly felt a wave of sickness engulf me.

It was horrible…I vomited what little food I ate at dinner, surprised at my sudden heaving. My whole body then became rigidly cold, covered with sweat. As all this was happening, I fell under a dizzy spell and soon I was lying on the ground.

My chest stopped heaving…and that was it.

I was dead.

My lifeless eyes stared blankly at the night sky…the vampire kneeled next to me and gently wiped the blood off my lips.

…The world slowly faded into darkness as his fingers closed my eyes.

o00o

My body wouldn't move.

But I felt the Vampiric blood run through my veins.

I could hear the slow and weak sound of my heart beating. So painfully slow, only about a beat for every twelve or so seconds.

The outside world sounded so different to me…everything was dark since I had my eyes closed, but the sounds of the darkness made up for my lack of sight. Every single hum was amplified, the slow movement in the river, the sound of shuffling leaves, even the slightest breath of any nearby creature was clear to me.

It was much later on that night that I heard the distinct footsteps…I smelled alcohol from this individual although his movements did not seem sluggish. Perhaps he drank a bit, but not enough to be drunk.

The footsteps came close then stopped for a second, the man, I guessed, must have seen me lying on the grass with my yukata stained with blood around the neck.

I could smell the blood-stain…it was there on my collar…for a Vampire that Orochimaru was a rather messy eater.

Then a yell for help came. Footsteps shuffled back and ran towards the nearest person to be found.

In a minute or two, there came more people, more footsteps, more beating hearts…All of them men, I suspected by the way their movements seemed heavy.

They came towards me, with a lamp I'm sure…I could smell the oil used as if they had placed it so very near me which they had not.

Someone was checking my pulse…nothing. Then they listened to my heart, but after ten seconds there was still nothing.

…Some talking…about me, they talked about Fugaku's son, yes…he was murdered.

How? Someone stabbed my neck twice with a poisoned nail of some sort and hit a vital artery.

Vomit…I could still smell the vomit. So pungent it was.

More footsteps. More people.

Gasps of horror at the sight of me, on the grass with a peaceful expression they said.

They said I looked as if I was just sleeping. I could've laughed.

And then, at last, footsteps approached again, only this time I knew exactly who these people were.

"Itachi! My Itachi! My son!" came the first sobs of despair…from my mother.

My father just stood there, unmoving…then very gradually he opened his arms to my mother and embraced her, whispering things to soothe her pain. He must've been surprised to see me dead when only a few hours ago he was talking to me.

Mother's wails slowly died away as several men placed my body on a stretcher, covered me with a white sheet and carried me off.

They sent me off to somewhere and set me on a futon. Cloth wiped away the specks of earth on me and some gentle hands removed my soiled garments. They wiped off the blood and dirt then ran a comb through my hair and clothed me in something clean. A black kimono with the Uchiha crest on its back if I'm not mistaken as was what we wore based on tradition.

Later, the smell of incense entered the room; it was a priest of sorts. He muttered some sutra's for the dead and did other things to prepare me. I did not pay anymore attention to what was happening around at this point and instead chose to sleep and dream.

When my mind had awakened my body was as it was before, lifeless…but the blood was still surging through me though my eyes remained as they were. The sounds of lament were around me, I imagined I was already laid out for the clan.

"-not guilty after all-"

"-such a waste-"

"-the poor child-"

Ah, such whispers… only then did they realize the truth when it was already far too late. I ignored these cries, they meant nothing to me now…

…Except for one that caught my attention and made my supposedly dead heart ache with misery and guilt.

"Aniki…why?" then came a reluctant sigh. It was Sasuke, my poor distraught Sasuke, whose heartbeat was racing as he tried his best not to cry as I had once taught him not to.

Men of the Uchiha clan do not show weakness, we do not shed tears.

Try as I might to ignore him, his voice was all I could focus on…he never spoke of another word and for this I was very thankful. Had Sasuke spoken more and wept harder for me, I would not have had the courage to go on with this charade. I was so proud of him for being able to be in command of his emotions, but so very miserable as well for not being able to hold him close to me and whisper to him that I could feel his anguish.

Oh Sasuke, you've made me the even more confused than I have ever been.

But I'm glad I succeeded in what I sought to teach you to become.

o00o

Necro: There, the biting has begun. Writer's Block is an evil EVIL thing. Review please!


	5. Chapter 5

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, just Starbucks…ok, I lied. I don't own that too.

Necro: I…am…bored. Hehe. Well, Recently, I've been working on chapter 7 so yeah, it'll be ready soon.

--o00o--

**Bloodlust**

Everything moved quickly and in less than a day I was already prepared to be put into my coffin to be buried. Apparently, my Father still harbored some bitterness against me and wanted me under his feet as soon as possible, for once I was thankful for his loathing as it kept me right on schedule for my Vampire associate.

Only twenty-four hours, that was how long I was to be in a comatose state.

The mourning voices were still there but they sounded confused, after having hated me for so long they must've felt quite awkward grieving for my death. Mother's voice was always above everyone else's; the woman really was a loving mother despite those instances wherein she didn't quite side with me.

Ah well, I was still her child and she was still my mother in spite of everything that had happened.

Other relatives came and went, offering their condolences to my parents…but most of them, if not all were rather hesitant to approach my body, as if they feared me for the life I had lived.

Fear, Guilt…all these emotions mixed in the air along with my Father's hatred. The man just couldn't forgive me for disgracing him by turning down that arranged marriage.

My fiancé and her parents came as well, they offered lilacs I think…by the smell of their group.

While all these people gathered around to mourn or scorn me, whichever they preferred, my brother was outside, keeping himself away from the tears and secretive smirks. He just stood outside and entered whenever he was required, but other than that, he kept a firm distance between us. Relatives thought this was because he was ashamed of me, but I knew it was because he was trying to keep up his stern pretenses.

Out of respect for me, he did all this so that I would see how he lived up to my expectations of him.

I could've wept inside.

After all the formalities of a funeral, they finally closed the coffin's cover and hoisted me up as we made our way towards the Uchiha graves where I was to be laid for my eternal sleep. There were a few more formalities which I did not bother to pay attention to, a chattering couple here and there, some priest with his sutra for the dead so that I may find rest in the after life, some tears from a few…

Then finally I was lowered into a dug up hole…my earthen grave.

Soft sobs accompanied the thump of dirt landing on my coffin, and then…

…Silence.

All I could sense was the earth around me, muffling the sounds from above…the footsteps slowly died away…and I was alone…so utterly alone.

For hours I laid there, silently listening to the nearby graves where flesh was rotting away as they decomposed. Very slowly, I could feel the movement return to my limbs, my fingers and toes flexed in response and at long lat my eyes opened.

But all that was there was darkness.

Have you ever felt claustrophobic in you life? Well, what I felt must have been worse. Imagine it now, you, all alone under six feet of dirt with silence and darkness as your companions along with the worms crawling over the lid of the coffin you lay in.

All alone there in the dark…trapped and forced to breathe the musky earth…so clustered and aware of everything around you…the very sound of your breath…the feel of your cold skin…

Can you imagine that? Being a witness to your slow drive to insanity…

Those hours…those hours felt like eternity to me…

I thought I was going mad. I tried to sleep but there seemed such a thin line between consciousness and death…I attempted to count in my head but after a while the solitude crawled in and left me with a feeling of anxiousness.

I was not aware of exactly how long I was trapped there, but I was certainly relieved when after all that silence I heard a beating heart approaching my grave.

It must've been night already, after all that waiting. This stranger came to my grave alone, bringing no offerings other than prayer.

But then, there came the unmistakable sounds of crying, they were muffled but I could still hear them through the layers of soil above me.

I couldn't help my self from gasping out loud…my late night visitor was…was my brother, Sasuke.

…My Otouto…standing there in front of his deceased Aniki's grave…

…crying without anyone but the dead of the night to judge him…

"…Aniki…why…Why did you have to die like this? You've left me! I feel as if I should be angry at you…but I can't! I could never bring my self to hate you, my brother…" he cried out desperately, banging his fists on the soft patch of earth, "Aniki…my brother…my mentor…why? Why? Aniki…"

"I can't believe you've let yourself be killed like this…Aniki…I want to kill your Murderer, I want to kill them so badly! I want to make them suffer!"

And so on and so forth he wept endlessly…

To hear these vengeful words pour out from my dear brother…I wanted to hold him close and ease his troubled heart. I didn't want vengeance to cloud his mind. I didn't want hatred to consume his soul as it once consumed mine. I wanted to tell him not to think of these evil thoughts, these notions of revenge and hatred and causing pain. I wanted him to mourn for me and be done with it…forget revenge Otouto…

Long and hard he cried, I cannot tell just how long he wept for me, it might have been hours…all I wanted was for him to leave. I wanted to just sleep and dream painlessly. I couldn't deal with these stirred emotions then, I just wanted him to leave me to my peace so that I could soon flee from him and his life.

I wanted to forget, to start afresh…I did not want to cause him any more pain.

Sasuke…he might've slept there on the ground had my mother not found him…it took a while to coax him to leave, but eventually he did…but it was so very late by then.

A few minutes after Sasuke finally left, another came forward as if they had been hiding for a while. There were no words, or prayers, or offered flowers, just a shovel to the earth.

I knew who this was, it was Orochimaru, finally come for me. It did not take him too long to dig up my coffin. I was surprised at how swift he was with his work, hoisting my coffin up alone without uttering a sound and undoing the nails that kept me confined within my casket.

The cover came off and I was met by the sight of the night sky, more beautiful than I had ever seen it to be. The stars shone magically and I wondered if they had always been so bright and beautiful, the moon was full and clear, majestic in its place up in the heavens.

Orochimaru offered me his hand and pulled me up, helping me out of my grave. My eyes scanned the graveyard, taking in every single detail. The world seemed to have changed overnight…everything was so clear.

I, myself had morphed into something different. I felt the point of my fangs, the utter frigidness of my skin, the unnatural sheen to my hair as well as the godly perfection of my whole stature…I was perfect, beautiful if you may…

Before I could explore more of this sudden change in everything, Orochimaru and I tidied up the mess we'd made and placed my empty casket back. We covered it once more with dirt and made sure to make it seem untouched. After this, we crept to the shadows and left without another sound.

I…I would really like to say that there was some sort of a dramatic rescue in this part, that somehow someone appeared to stop Orochimaru and I on our tracks…but there was no such intervention. It all went according to plan. We had left the graves and hid in some shabby old house where rice was stored.

We barred all the windows and doors of the small storage house and settled ourselves behind a few sacks of harvested rice grains, there we slept peacefully and awoke the following night to flee the village.

It was all so simple…to fake my death, and then to seek refuge in some abandoned domain to shelter ourselves from the son…until we could rise once more to the darkness of the night and escape to wherever my whimsical maker wanted.

That night…as I fled while looking back at the fading image of my home, I realized that by leaving my village and everyone I knew…

I had sacrificed the very last essence of humanity in me…

In a way, I had been defeated at last…and the loss was far too great.

o00o

The rest of my days were spent traveling from village to village, moving to the West where Orochimaru later explained was where Vampires had originally sprung. He was by no means a willing teacher to me as I was never a devout novice to him, and never did he attempt to teach me more of our kind. What I knew, as the months rolled by were merely the basic things for my survival.

He taught me how to feed on humans, how to ensnare them with my otherworldliness and how to make sure that when I fed on there blood it was inconspicuous so as not to incite suspicion amongst the mortals around us. We fed together, he and I, he would be the one to pick out our victims from the countless faces of the crowd, and I would be the one to seduce these poor souls.

Whether or not these people harbored good or evil, I did not know.

I had changed under Orochimaru's wing, when before I was nonchalant and reserved I became ruthless in a cunning sort of way, sadistic with my victims sometimes. Words rarely left me anymore and my entire view of everything had changed into a murderous vigor.

The world had changed around me…it was so much more beautiful than I had ever thought it to be. The night held me in its divine grasp, the sound of nature often coaxed my soul to tears, and the lights, oh how marvelous they looked through my Vampire eyes. In my immortality, I came to become a despaired artist in love with every small detail of everything.

…An artist in love with humanity, and a hunter at the same time.

The tragedy of it all, as I witnessed the beauty in human life, was that I would never be a part of that, that I would forever be a witness to all things of life and death but never one to experience it.

Ah…it was this feeling of seclusion that Orochimaru had feared for himself. Such depression would indeed drive anyone to madness.

My, I'm drifting again…do pardon me, it is difficult for me to tell you these things so scarcely when I've seen so much. Words cannot fully detail to you the things which I wish for you to see as I had seen them myself.

I apologize…let me get into a more general description of my afterlife.

Basically, I became the wretched creature I so despised. My whole being, as I've told you, changed into that which is not human. The dark blood given to me had immortalized my youth, I could not age, I could not die…I could not eat, or drink, or sire children as men do.

There was only blood…blood to keep me alive, blood to feast on…blood…to give me that sexual satisfaction I'd been deprived of by becoming this…evil.

Yes, there was only blood for us Vampires, there was no other.

We were made of blood, flesh and bone…we had no tears, we were hollow…

Every few months, we would settle down in a village only to move on to wherever we pleased after a week or so. Our travels had taken us to the very center of the ongoing wars in the West as well as the peaceful seclusion of the more rural and unaffected villages of the North. Throughout the span of our, how should I say…companionship, I learned many new things along the way.

My strength and speed had increased and I could defy gravity and scale high walls if I tried hard enough. I could virtually sleep anywhere if I were to hide from the first rays of the sun as a measure of survival provided that there was some bit of shade from the sun and soil to dig a grave. Coffins were fortunately not needed for sleeping, as long as the space was dark, unreachable of sunlight and secured from the prying eyes of humans, it was fine.

Sweating, I discovered was impossible as I had only blood in my system, so were tears and feces.

When I think about the last one…I can't help but think that you humans are disgusting.

o00o

I do not want to tell you much of my days with Orochimaru, know only that they were filled with much despair and silent hatred towards him. That snake often found entertainment in me by stalking my hunts and harassing me, always pointing out my desperate cries for some state of normalcy. He said I loved humans too much…

There were things I found out about our fiendish friend though, for one he was about sixty years old or so in human years but had retained the look of a man in his twenties due to the fact that his maker had turned him when he was still of that age.

How he became a Vampire, he never confided in me…only snidely remarking that his maker had been foolish not to accept his non-consequential views on taking lives. You see, Orochimaru merely saw humans as food and playthings that satisfied his urges, nothing more. I hated Orochimaru, but I had to live with it, otherwise I would have died as a newly born hatchling would without its mother. And I did not want to die, no, because somehow I had a bit of hope that someday I would be able to return to my Sasuke.

Well…I was right on that.

It was a year after I left my village. Orochimaru and I were somewhere up north, feasting upon the populace of a small village that was known for its relatively peaceful and carefree villagers.

Yes, peaceful until we came along of course.

We rented a room in a small Inn in which we slept at day. No one bothered us as we had paid a hefty fee to the innkeeper who was graciously at our service. At night we walked around and found things to amuse us of a while, whether we chose to stalk a single person whom we would hunt later on or eavesdrop on the conversations of others.

During one of our eavesdropping sessions, I caught wind of my family's name.

Uchiha.

"-war moving dangerously close to Konoha-"

"-the Uchiha clan might be forced to fight if negotiations-"

"-I heard there were secret deaths being covered up by the Uchiha-"

It was certain, with my supernatural hearing I heard every word these people uttered. The civil wars were getting too close to my village and if need be my clan would be forced to step down from their place of neutrality and fight. There were rumors that deaths within the family had been kept secret from the public as well.

All this would make anyone uneasy…I felt compelled to go back, but I had Orochimaru to convince…going back was absolutely against our deal as I had promised never to return that life.

Later that night, after we'd fed on a pair of whores who couldn't become geisha selling themselves to anyone who would take them, I made my move. It was casual, I brought up the piece of information I heard and tried to subtly coax him to take a route that would stop at my village. But being the cunning snake that he was, he already knew what my true intentions were.

"So…Itachi-kun, you wish to return to your village despite our deal?" he sneered at me, eying me with those dangerous eyes of his.

"Yes, I do."

"I've told you haven't I?" he replied, "You cannot ever return to that! You are dead to them as they should be to you!"

"I want to go back there not in an attempt to return to my old life, believe me I would never think of causing them such pain. What I want from you is to allow me to watch over, even for so little a while. Let me see how my clan has grown, I promise you I will not present myself to them, I merely want to know how they are."

At my explanation, Orochimaru took a moment to think, and then he answered, "What can you offer me Itachi-kun? I already have your companionship, your life is mine, what is there left of you?" he questioned, challenging me. Oh, it always was like this with him; knowledge for knowledge and blood for blood.

I thought deeply, it was true that he had all he could take for me…except for one other thing…I did not want to make this offer, but I had nothing else to give, it had to be done…I had to see Sasuke and this had been my only chance.

"I offer…blood…my blood, Orochimaru." I said. His eyes widened in glee, I knew this would excite him. "Take me home, for at least a few weeks…and then, I will give myself freely to you and your desires."

This…was the only thing left to offer him…Blood…as you know, is everything for us, it was food, drink, power…pleasure.

Blood drinking between Vampires was considered as the most pleasurable sexual encounter anyone could ever hope for. It was beyond man's union of the flesh…beyond your ecstasy…beyond raping human blood.

I was…basically whoring myself out for him.

I was Temptation undead, he couldn't resist.

The night after we were packed and ready to go forth and return, return to my village…return to my Sasuke.

o00o

Necro: I'd like to thank those who've read and reviewed this fic, even your usually shorter than ten words reviews are much appreciated XD.


	6. Chapter 6

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters are subject to copyright, so yeah, I don't own them.

Necro: I'm just a sad little girl who writes stuff, but that doesn't mean I'm into those totally sad endings, so you guys can relax.

--o00o--

**Bloodlust**

Konoha had not changed much after my year-long absence, the sculpted faces on the towering mountain face overlooking the village were as they were, and the stone which had upon it the names of those warriors who fought for our village all those years ago was still there being visited upon by people from time to time. Our Uchiha complex's walls still stood mighty, impenetrable to all those who watched from outside.

On the night of our arrival, Orochimaru and I quickly set off to find ourselves a suitable Inn in which we could rest and find sanctuary for the day. Once we were settled, we left each other in favor of hunting alone. I headed out to see the village and fed on a mortal or two.

Ah yes, I had no qualms against killing humans…

After being done with my victim, I made my way towards the guarded homes of my clan. With my Vampire skills, I crept to the shadows and jumped from rooftop to rooftop with ease, never making a single sound as I landed on the tiled roofs. My eyes, once raven black in my days of mortality, now blood red with the touch of my new blood scanned the moonlit backyard below only to find nothing but the slight movements of fallen leaves.

I landed on a clearing beside the pond, for a second I remembered how Sasuke and I used to spend our days there together, watching the koi fish as they swam peacefully…

Then there was a sound, a woman coughed heavily three rooms away from where I stood. Silently I once again crept in secret, knowing that the sound came distinctly from my parent's quarters.

What I saw through the small opening of a screen door was a death of the one who gave me life. There, lying on a futon with a dozen or so individuals waiting for her eternal sleep was my mortal mother, ill and fatigued and bed-ridden for so long it seemed. I saw my father close by, once the proud man who always radiated that air of power now a crumbling heap so very close to tears at the sight of his dying wife.

Anyone would be heart-broken to see a woman known for her gentleness fade away like this. In my absence I had not known that she had become oh so very fragile, this woman who gave me life, so very small and weak, barely able to respond to those who silently wept around her.

More coughs, more pain…

"Fuga…ku…" she whispered to my father with her very last ounce of breath.

"Mikoto…" he replied solemnly.

…then silence.

She was dead, just like that…the breath taken away from her by Death.

Father clasped a hand upon her hand, bringing it to his lips for a chaste kiss before sobbing silently without tears. The other occupants of the room lowered their heads in respect…

That night I witnessed the death of Uchiha Mikoto, honored wife of the prominent head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Fugaku…

…mother of Uchiha Sasuke and I, the deceased Uchiha Itachi.

Strangely, I felt detached, it was if I was watching…just watching someone whom I had never known in life…there was no sorrow…just a strange numbness. Perhaps because I knew that I would never have to experience that that I felt all powerful, Death had no grasp upon me nor would it ever be able to pry me away from this dark life to cast me towards the fires of hell if I did not will it.

I did not see this woman as my Mother…and for this revelation I was certain I was damned.

Father…no, Fugaku continued to mourn quietly, as did the others who witnessed Death at work.

But where was Sasuke? I thought to myself. Surely, as he was this woman's child he would be there to weep for her. But as my blood red eyes scanned the room I found not a single trace of him. Not a whisper…not there.

I disappeared from the scene, stealthily as was before, and made my way to the other bedrooms. I passed by my old room, tempted to peek through but I did not. Besides, what did I expect but a dusty old bedroom that told no tale of the boy prodigy Itachi gone mad who once slept there. My story would be forever a taboo as no one would want to remember my violent death.

Taking a turn, I found myself standing in front of my Otouto's bedroom. A light glowed from within the room; I could see it through the paper screens of our home's screen doors. Inside were sounds of shuffling footsteps, the inhabitant seemed to be doing something, pacing around it seemed.

And then…the person inside stopped, sensing my presence. Ah, I had forgotten to be on my guard.

"Is it over?" he asked me, this person inside. So familiar it was, this childlike voice…tinged with the tones of worry and depression. The voice sounded drained, somber and barely holding its grieving song.

The person, not receiving a reply from me, sauntered closer towards the screen door separating us. His shadow became more distinct through the thin paper screen and I saw that unmistakable spiked hair I often tangled my fingers in during our days in the past.

"Did you not hear me? I asked you if it was over." He said, demanding, powerful.

Sasuke…he sounded so much like a man.

And then, from that tone of annoyance came a gloom, "Is…is my mother? …Has she finally?"

He thought I was one of the house servants acting as a messenger; it was all too perfect for me, this opportunity to speak to him. "Yes, she's gone, peacefully with a final cough that sent her to her rest."

"…Was she…in pain?"

"…there was only the coughing…it was uncomfortable for her rather than painful, rest assured."

"…I see…" he replied, "You may go now."

But I did not leave, instead I stood there unmoving, waiting for the inevitable woeful grief that I knew was to come from my sweet Otouto. As expected, I was right.

Thinking that I had left, Sasuke began to silently weep alone. He was barely audible, mind you…this youth with his small whimpers. Had it not been for my acute hearing I wouldn't have heard it. Ever the loving brother, I offered to comfort him though I made a point to myself never to be revealed.

Imitating an awkward servant, I spoke, "…Would you like to vent out your grief? I trust you feel some sort of frustration building up-"

"-Would you like me to burn you with an oil lamp?!" he interrupted.

For a moment, I was insulted. Sasuke never dared to speak to me in such a way before, this had been a rather unsettling moment for me but aghast as I was, I recovered quickly enough.

Calmly as I could, I replied, "There is no shame in openly mourning for the death of a loved one." I said, "I merely offer you a shoulder to cry on, if you will."

"…"

"I promise no one will ever hear of such gossip about this."

He sniffled quietly and I saw his shadow self slightly nod, "You must think me to be a weakling, crying like an ignorant child."

"How old are you?" I asked him.

"Eleven years old."

I smiled inwardly, I'd forgotten he was eleven, "you still are a child, but I doubt you are ignorant."

There was some bit of shock in him as I could feel the sudden skip of his heartbeat, "Calm yourself, and allow me to embrace you for but a while if you feel uncomfortable. Put your light out so that I won't see your glistening tears, these tears put you to shame do they not?" I spoke lovingly.

He was hesitant at first upon hearing all this kindness from a servant stranger, but he did as requested and put out his light. The shadows in his room disappeared…replaced only by darkness and silence.

The wood-framed screen slowly slid open for me, granting me entrance. Then it closed, blocking out much of the moonlight from outside. Small steps followed and came towards me. I must've looked like a woman or an apparition to him, I being but a silhouette of a long-haired being…or perhaps an angel as my skin might have looked immaculate under such waning luminance.

And what did he look like to me you ask? He was as I remembered him from the year before…only that he was taller, slender if not feminine of build. Still a child by my standards without much muscle but with much agility I suspected. His skin was pale, beautifully pale like ivory…yes, much like ivory. He still sported that wild hairstyle of his, with the spiked back and frame of black locks up front.

But there was one change in him that I was quite surprised to find…His eyes.

No longer did they have that sheen of naivety and that clueless look which children harbor. Instead he had eyes like I once did in my boyhood. He had my glaringly beautiful but dangerous eyes that bore into a person's soul, leaving people helplessly staring back at a pair of emotionless orbs that were snide and hauntingly cruel. I was in despair, thinking that he had become me, the tragic boy who knew nothing of a child's joy.

These eyes, so like how my own once were glowered angrily at me…then they softened, breaking down into uncontrollable tears. Despite the poor lighting, with my special eyes I saw all this…and all of him.

Oh, I cannot describe to you the feeling of contentment I felt when I opened my arms to him and he came towards me, burying his tear-stricken face into my chest as he poured out his anguish and torment. Hands clutched miserable at the front of my slightly worn traveling clothes, tears flowed freely from his loathing eyes. I held him there, my arms snuggly around his small sobbing frame…how I missed all this, this responsibility of an older brother.

He was very quiet you know, very careful not to cry too much. It was a while after he had no more tears to shed. It was a while for him to finally quiet down.

When the tears ceased to pour out, then came his woeful words of suffering and loss.

"She was my mother, and a rather young one at that…it makes no sense, this death by illness. I've lost her…just as I had lost my dear brother! Why must I suffer through this torment all over again? Why must I lose yet another teacher? My mother, who so lovingly taught me after my mentor, my Aniki, left me so suddenly…snatched from life just like that by a murderer who killed my cousin as well…"

And on and on he poured out to me the loved ones he'd lost…very particular with his Aniki and his mother.

…I just stood there and listened.

That moment, I asked myself if this was what I had done to him with my fake death…if this was, if not more, the pain I left him when I said farewell to the living and the mortal and said hello to the damned.

I suddenly felt sick of myself. I really was a cruel man.

Finally he calmed down and sighed, having expelled his woes and all that burdened him. Then came the rational part of him that spoke to me, "Not a word of this to anyone and I'll be forever thankful to you."

"I would never dream of telling." I replied, letting go of him as he stood a good three feet away from me to take a better look at me. Of course, I knew he could not discern my face as it was simply too dark for that.

"You…seem rather familiar to me, frighteningly familiar in fact." He said to me, still trying to rack his brain for my identity, having doubts that I was an ordinary house servant.

"Why so?" I played along.

For a few moments, I feared he was going to demand of me my identity. For sure I did not want to disclose it, and if need be I would have fled before he had the chance to ask me. But you see, I did not want to flee, I wanted to stay for a little more conversation with this little brother of mine. I wanted to talk to him more, to listen to his views on this philosophy and that, I wanted to see how much he'd learned in my absence, how much he'd improved. I wanted to know whether or not he could hold a formidable debate against me, whether or not he thought of the progress of the farmers of the south as a positive thing…I wanted to know my brother once more.

…To be close to him and be his mentor again.

Again, he spoke, "You remind me…so much of…"

"Yes?"

"…So much of my brother."

This…was unexpected. Never did I let my self slink into a level that would make my self be that familiar to him. It was alarming, how close he was to the truth. So very close indeed.

I had not babied him, nor did I speak to him with too much intimacy…and yet he figured it out. I was both in a silent turmoil and glorious appreciation.

"There is, for certain, elegance with the way you bring yourself and your matter of speech, even your voice has much semblance to his voice…well, I might be imagining it but…this is all so much like my brother…and…"

"…and?"

"…and…your embrace…was how my Aniki held me whenever I was down."

The embrace…I'd forgotten about that habit.

"I apologize. Such familiarity in me must pain you." I said, truthfully. But he shook himself 'no' and responded with a very slight smile.

"No, don't apologize. I admit it pains me, but your presence comforts me even more. As to why that is, I have no idea. All I know is that you seem like an interesting character, I doubt I've spoken to servants much…you are educated though, tell me, are you a new tutor for me? Now that my mother is gone I have no one to teach me, father always seems busy and I'd hate to trouble him with my questions. So, are you?"

I mentally shook myself, another opportunity for me to be close to him? Indeed, how lucky was I? "I am educated, yes. And if you will allow it, I will tutor you, but I must tell you before hand that I was not called here to be your tutor, I came as one who mourns for Mikoto, she was, in a sense, dear to me. Also, I warn you, I am an eccentric who comes only by night, as should our lessons take place."

"So…you are one of Mother's friends, a scholar of sorts as well. Forgive my rudeness earlier."

"It has been forgotten."

For a while he contemplated, I thought he saw through my lie but fortunately he had not, "All right, I want to be your pupil. You seem quite able even though you're rather strange with these night lessons of yours. But all right, I think you would be great."

"Perfect."…perfect it was indeed, "Tell your father of me, that you choose to be my student. Don't mind the payment, I ask for none."

"But I have to pay you!"

"No, don't. Instead, as payment, make sure I have a room here in which I can use whenever the need arises. Also, don't question my habits no matter how odd they may be."

Confused but willing, Sasuke nodded.

I turned away from him, my Otouto, and left without giving him the chance to catch a glimpse of my face. His voice rang after me as I strode quickly out of sight, but I heard him.

"-wait! How do I introduce you to Fath-"

"-ow do I contact you?-"

"-don't even know your name-"

I didn't turn back, the moment he lost sight of my retreating back I broke into my supernatural speed and fled quietly, thinking of how irrational I was with my actions.

Think about it. I, an immortal Vampire, come home to once again be my mortal brother's mentor. My identity was to be jeopardized by this imbecilic stunt.

I drank a little more blood on my way back to the Inn, and upon arriving I found my maker already back from his hunt. There, as the night went on, I fabricated a lie about wanting to stay at my old home for two days at a time to watch over my once-relatives.

He didn't care much about what I wanted, only caring about the prize of immortal blood and sinful pleasures from me awaiting for him after my little family visit. But he did remind me of some precautions, saying that I should not make myself conspicuous and telling me the usual 'hunt stealthily so as not to be discovered'. He warned me about sleeping alone at day, that he would not be there to wake me if I were to be exposed to sunlight or attacked by mortals whilst asleep, the latter being rather unlikely but possible, he said.

I spent the rest of the night thinking of ways to hide my identity.

Soon, the drowsiness of a long night finally lulled me to sleep. I made sure the sunlight would not penetrate our room through the windows and made sure that no one would enter, and then I crawled into one of the twin beds, the other was occupied by Orochimaru.

I dreamt I was mortal again while I slept that morning, I dreamt of teaching Sasuke how to ride horses, I assumed he didn't know. Mother was there, healthy as I'd prefer to remember her, calling us and telling us the food was ready and that Father was home and waiting for us.

It was a nice dream.

o00o

Necro: Btw, chap 7 is half-way through but I sense another writer's block coming for chap 8. Uh-oh.


	7. Chapter 7

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Necro: Wah…I barely finished this one. Hope you guys like! Btw, I've been hearing a great deal about this 'Interview with a Vampire' thing so I decided to look it up, and lo and behold, it's by Anne Rice who is coincidentally the author of one of my fave books: Cry to Heaven, which may I add was one of the inspirations for one of my YuGiOh fics. Hehe, I swear, Rice is a genius. I'm gonna look for this Interview with the Vamp book of yours, who knows, I might like it. Oh and Merry Christmas guys!

--o00o--

**Bloodlust**

I have no idea how Sasuke managed to persuade our father to allow a stranger to become his tutor. The fact that they had easily provided a rather cozy room for me as requested had surprised me a bit; I thought for sure there would be a bit of a fuss due to this appeal. As for the supposed night lessons, our father had been wary at first, or so I've been told but he allowed it.

The first time I was introduced to him as a scholar had been an awkward meeting. There we were, Sasuke and Fugaku, as I preferred to called him in my mind instead of 'Father' during my tutoring days, were by the entrance waiting for my arrival that night. Sasuke had been insistent that the household help be courteous to me, thus they sent an elderly man with a lantern at hand to greet me by the main gates of the Uchiha compound.

It was an odd thing, our first encounter after so long a time, that night I had already fed aplenty so that my skin would not appear to be so sickly pale. To hide my identity, I donned a black cloak with swirling red clouds over it as a design of sorts; it was a rather odd cloak that I had managed to 'borrow' from Orochimaru. The neckline was rather high, this was a good thing as it managed to shield my mouth and lower face from view. But my eyes, these were the most difficult to hide, I knew that if they ever saw those lines on my face, those two lines that were unmistakably my trademark look, they would be aroused to suspicion.

To remedy this, I managed to acquire an old traveler's hat; I know you know of these things. Made out of fiber, very similar to what peasant farmers wear to protect themselves from the scorching heat of the sun during those dry days of planting rice in the fields. Yes, I used this sort of hat, only it had a few strips of white cloth to hide my hair and one or two strings with bells attached, omitting a rather eerie bell chime as I strode.

My nails, oh, I cannot even begin. My nails had an odd look to them as well, you humans have those thin and occasionally tough nails, I on the other hand had nails that looked like marble, and they were as tough as marble too. Again, to remedy this I used, begrudgingly, some blackish liquid very similar to the modern nail polish and painted over them. Orochimaru had been the one to make the concoction for me, saying he often used it himself as well.

I managed to present myself well enough, I was well-mannered and knowledgeable, why, if it had not been for my disguise I'm sure Fugaku would have been completely enthralled with my charm. The servants found me to be quite a mysterious character, often placing guesses with each other to the nature of my character. Was I an old man? Was I a woman? Perhaps I was a noted philosopher secretly in hiding?

They really digressed far away from the truth.

Now, as for the lessons, Sasuke was as he was before, a brilliant and exceptional youth. He was able to memorize long verses of poetry before I managed to repeat it a third time. He was very proficient with logic and often questioned me of my principles in life. With numbers he did quite well, and of political judgment he was an excellent speaker.

Our lessons took place nightly after the family's dinner in which I was often offered to dine with them but would not, human food had no place in my appetite after all. They often wondered why I would never eat with them but were too polite, or hesitant, to force me. It became a great mystery, how no one ever saw me eat or drink anything whilst under the Uchiha's roof. But, back to my trail of thought, these lessons of ours lasted for about two to three hours a night, depending on Sasuke's whims, after which I would leave the complex and hunt the village if I were in need of blood, if not I would go to my bedroom which was at the end of the hall from Sasuke's room and sleep until I woke up. Sometimes it was during the same night that I would awaken, in these cases I left through the front gates and went to the Inn where Orochimaru dwelt. I would then return to teach Sasuke on the next night. Many found this an odd habit but left me to my eccentricities anyway.

Everything was perfect, the suspicions were just that and I was in bliss with being able to take part of those humans' lives even though it was as a stranger cloaked with the air of mystery. Lessons were as I expected and facades were as they were; only…I had a bit of trouble with Sasuke's natural inquisitiveness.

As Mentor and Pupil we were close, as friends we were even closer, but as my teachings poured out into him he began to take a personal interest in me. Understand that it was with me that he talked to whenever he felt the pressures of being the clan's Prodigy. It was with me that he shared his deepest secrets and thoughts. It was with me that he shed his shell of perfection without worry of being criticized.

As the days drew by, his curiosity increased until one night after finishing our session with Japanese history he questioned me.

"Sensei," he started, looking up at me and trying to see me eye to eye though he could not due to my guise, "You refuse to tell me your name, or whence you come from, or of your family and friends and loved ones, why so?" he asked. I did not give him a reply and he was by that time used to this, but he went on.

"How can I be certain that you are not a spy? You may have fascinated my Father and everyone within the walls of this compound, but still your secretive nature leads me to question my trust in you. Not once have you told me anything about yourself, do know that despite being your pupil for so less than a week and a half, I trust you with my life."

His truthfulness anguished me and I could not help but reply to him, "I do this for your safety, Sasuke. Believe you me, I see you as a brother…yes, most definitely a brother-" I could have laughed at this, "-but I fear for you should you know my life, truly I do. You have no idea of the horrors I've been through, I am murderer, there…I've said it, but I am a scholar moreover for you. Don't hate me. I can't stand seeing your loathing."

I'd told him I was a murdering convict of sorts, and to an extent he believed me though I'm sure he sensed that there was a lie in my words…

I should've known he'd pry further despite the elaborate half-truths I had told him.

o00o

One night, lit by the moonlight and all, I woke up from my slumber which was no longer than an hour, that being said, I went out to the village to hunt for a bit. Unbeknown to me as I was still in a groggy state, half-asleep as you might call it, my little brother was secretly tagging along from behind, hiding beneath the shadows a safe distance away from me.

How I did not manage to sense his presence is proof enough of his unnatural skill with stealth.

As I've said, I was half-asleep and half-aware of what was happening all round me.

I remember jumping onto a rooftop then scurrying towards a whorehouse for some blood, I'm quite sure Sasuke saw my powerful leap but must've reasoned with himself that I was, after all, trained in combat tactics as well. He lost track of me when I set off to the roofs but eventually found me again, a little more aware of things after being fed, a few hours later into the night.

My senses had awakened and I noticed him behind me, a small figure hiding in the darkness so as not to be seen. I was about to turn to face and expose him but someone else beat me to it.

A familiar figure sped through the tight passages of houses; it jumped and disappeared, snatching my young spy from the shadows. There came a soft yelp, I turned my view to the roof where the moon waned slightly.

There he stood, Orochimaru in all his menacing glory, covering Sasuke's mouth from behind as he wrapped his arms around the child's lithe frame. Sasuke's eyes widened at this, I knew he was scared.

The demon spoke, "My, my, seems I've caught quite a remarkable prey. Wouldn't you agree?" golden eyes shining in the moonlight, he watched me from above, holding my brother hostage.

"Let him go, he hasn't done anything to you." I replied, cold and indifferent.

That vile monster just chuckled darkly, once more he stared into my eyes piercingly as if reading my thoughts, it almost made me shiver, "I'm hunting, am I not? And I've caught this wonderful boy, who are you to tell me I cannot have him?" he said.

My fists clenched, he was enjoying putting me in such a situation, "Just let him go…he won't prowl these streets at night ever again."

"Trying to ask for his release? Pathetic!" at this, he shoved Sasuke off the roof towards me with one swift movement.

"Sensei!"

I wasn't able to react; I thought for sure Sasuke had fallen clean off the roof. But there he was, unscathed in the arms of Orochimaru once more, they were on the ground now and Sasuke was silently shaking within his hold, probably terrified at the creature who held him prisoner, the creature who could move so swiftly like that in a matter of seconds.

"S-Sen…sei…"

"Hn, 'Sensei' he calls you…so that's what you've been up to? Being his beloved 'Sensei'?" he said to me, mockingly sweet.

"Shut up-"

"So have you enjoyed your time playing 'Sensei'?"

"Enough-"

"Cheating me off our deal weren't you?"

"Be quiet!-"

"YOU be quiet!" he bellowed at me, for a moment I was stunned, I had never seen him so angry in all our months together as I saw him that night, eyes flashing like slits scathingly horrifying than any demons I knew of. His expression was of pure hatred, I visibly saw his grip on Sasuke tighten. "I cannot believe you! 'Watch over them' you said, 'I will not present my self'…the lies! Well…you never said anything about befriending them! Playing as if you were one of them! How dare you make a fool of me! I, your maker!"

For a while we were quiet as my maker continued to glare at me, filled with much loathing and abhorrence. Sasuke knew better than to talk so he too kept silent. At last, the vampire spoke once more.

"You dare to lie to me, hide from me these things, and deceive me as if I were nothing but a common brainless swine! I see now why you've taken my cloak and headdress; you used these to play with your blood brothers… ", saying this he gave me a cruel smile, "I will make you suffer, I assure you."

I knew what was coming, "Don't be such a coward, punish me if you will…just release Sasuke."

His smirk grew, "Why punish this young one with a quick death? I'll kill him later-" suddenly he tossed Sasuke frail body towards me which I caught swiftly with ease, "-oh, I assure you, he will die…slowly, painfully as I once described to you, only…" a smirk.

"He'll suffer so. Much. More." Then rang his ominous laughter, laughter from the mad man I knew him to be…

Off he went, sprinting from rooftop to rooftop, leaving me with a trembling Sasuke who had just witnessed the Devil himself. I hugged him close, he did not react. I whispered assurances…nothing.

"Sensei…" after a while he finally began to speak again, but I dreaded what he had to say to me, "Just who are you? Tell me the truth!" he banged his smaller fists onto me chest, demanding an answer.

Oh such anger and confusion in his eyes.

There was so much I wanted to tell him, so much I wanted to confess, but looking at his angry expression I felt the words die out in my mouth, I just couldn't tell him, I was far too ashamed of myself for my apparent weakness.

He kept asking though, over and over again with the same questions: Who was I? Who or what was that creature who knew me so intimately? What did he mean by those things he said? Why all the secrecy? Despite all this, I kept my mouth sealed; I did not want to taint him any more than I already had.

I couldn't face him, I couldn't even look at him, so I did what was left for me to do…

I fled.

Just like that, I disappeared from his sight and left him there in the dark streets standing alone and confused and even more terrified. If he did not fear me before, he did so now.

Anguish, hatred, despair! I cannot narrate to you the totality of all the feelings that engulfed my entire being! I was angry at myself, so very angry!

That night I did not return to my room nor did I seek out Orchimaru, all I did for the remainder of that night was hide in an old shed filled with barrels of rice wine, quietly I slept there undisturbed but troubled.

The next night I did not return to Sasuke, on the night after that still I did not return…I couldn't bring my self to wake up even though the hunger for blood was making me weak. This went on for several nights, wherein I kept to myself and went out to hunt only for sustenance but nothing more. Once or twice I overheard people gossiping about my disappearance, saying that Sasuke refused to talk of the matter and that he refused to come out of his bedroom…

…he had grown ill with grief, they said…

I might've wept…I think, after hearing all this talk of my Otouto's deteriorating health.

Perhaps I might have let myself die there in grief within the confinement of that shed, I probably would have after all the angst I felt bottle up inside.

But then there came a new rumor, one that irked me to no end.

"-the tutor has returned-"

"-still garbed in his cloak and hat with-"

"-ey say is a bit different than befo-"

The tutor has returned they said, but how could that be so when I, who was the tutor, was in hiding? There came only one conclusion to me, only one person came to mind: Orochimaru.

He was using his serpentine wit and was impersonating me, taking refuge in the homes of my ancestors while clothed in one of his red-clouded cloaks…

I would've risen quickly, but it was so difficult having been hungry for nourishment for so many a night, I could barely stand and keep myself awake, scrawny rats and other such small animals had been my source of blood, and I tell you it was the most disgusting thing I'd ever tasted…that animal blood which did so little to sustain me.

A few more nights later after hearing the dreadful rumor, I was able to at least rise from my earthen cot to hunt properly. An ill child was all I could handle at best as I could not yet handle the typical healthy adult with my condition.

Human blood was a welcomed thing, and this helped in replenishing some of my former glory. But alas, I was still not completely healed from the emotional scars of my downfall. I had no time though; I had no more time to waste, so I flitted head on towards the Uchiha compound in pursuit of my imposter.

Was it fate? Was it truly destiny? This tragedy I am about to unfold to you. Oh how it still angers me, this thing, this feeling of regret and pain and shame for what I lost…

Such precise moments, those initial seconds of calm…

There I was, within the walls of my former neighborhood…and it was so very quiet and still, so very silent and abandoned…

Then…there came a scent, coming at my Vampire senses like a wave, drowning me!

It was Blood, freshly spilt blood…once so intoxicatingly sweet to me…but was then so odiferous to me that night…

I couldn't move, I was nauseous again, so weak and tired and drugged by all the blood, my family's blood…it disgusted me, it aroused me, and it was agonizingly…

…Delicious.

I could've gone on and on for the entirety of the night…had I not caught the beginnings of the scent of fire.

This caught my attention, effectively stopping me dead on my tracks…

Blood, fire…confusion and panic flooded through my heightened senses…and then…Death.

…Only then did I realize just how stupid it was for me to have let myself be weakened…I should've known that I would need all my strength for our confrontation.

…I did not need to follow the sound of fear; I knew exactly where chaos was brewing.

Our house.

Scorching flames suddenly rose from hell all around me as I passed house to house mixing with the screams of souls torn from life, cries of pain reverberated throughout the thresholds of the once glorified clan! Bodies, all freshly decapitated came to view, strewn here and there as if they were butchered animals…A dead woman's body laid next to a baby whose lifeless eyes looked up at me as if it were some broken marionette…

Oh how pitiful it was, to see such powerful men succumb to death…Brought down not by the sword of the enemy nation but by the vengeful hand of a single Vampire.

Cries of terror echoed as I ran towards the main house, even there the grasp of genocide had reached. Servants…all of them, dead. My Father, Fugaku. An empty shell of a man who used to rule, eye sockets empty and bleeding out…

Blood. Blood. It was everywhere…

…And everything, all of it was burning…burning…burning into ash…

And there he stood, my maker, having bathed in blood and grinning at me malevolently…

It was then that I lost it, I knew it had to end…those games of his. It just had to end. His guidance be damned, his knowledge be damned, let me die of ignorance, let me die by his hand…but I would bring him with me to death…damn him, damn us, damn us both to Hell!

I remember my exact thoughts back there…

'Will Hell take us in Death? Will Heaven open its gates for my self-sacrifice?

I am a damned creature…Hell would not be enough for a spawn such as I.

Oh Sasuke! I have Lusted for you for far too long a lifetime and afterlife…

Forgive my perversion, my blasphemy, my sinful Love'

o00o

Necro: I typed this crap randomly, forgive me. Hehe. Read and Review guys! Reviews are a writer's batteries! Merry Christmas or Yule or whichever you prefer.


	8. Chapter 8

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: Naruto ain't mine. Ya' got that?

Necro: This was written while eating large spoonfuls of peanut butter. Yeah, I'm surprised too. Btw, I've gotten hold of that Interview book, man…you guys are right, this IS kinda close to it in some parts. Hehe…I'm so happy coz someone PMed me and told me I was real good to be compared to Anne Rice. Squeee!!!! My heart is going bouncy-bouncy! A BIG THANK U to ALL my reviewers!

--o00o--

**Bloodlust**

Have you ever experienced feeling hatred that practically burns you alive? Hatred that seems to just rise above all else, above common sense, above your virtues, above every single thought of rationality and principle you so dearly held. Well, I must say, I've never been one to become so irrational, but after everything that had happened to me…all that horror and now this macabre scene…

…I couldn't help it, I lost my self.

Orochimaru was there, standing in front of me with his hands covered in my mortal family's blood. A smirk was on his face as he walked towards me and spoke.

"I have disposed of your clan for you," he said, "now you have no more distractions, you are free of them…there is nothing that can take you away from me now." Oh the madness…

"I hate you."

At my reply he raised a brow, "Is that so? Pity I don't care much of that. Itachi-kun, leave your precious humanity behind, let your conscience burn to ash as these corpses around you burn to ash. Forget you were ever human, forget you ever had a mortal life, become my companion in death-"

"You will never claim me."

Somewhere near us a burning house finally fell, its foundations too weak to support it any longer…

"I am your Father by right; you became my child the night I made you. I am your Brother by blood; you became my kin when you became the creature that I am. I am your Teacher by default; you became my pupil when you needed my guidance…"

"I am no fool…I am not yours Orochimaru."

A sudden rage of fury swallowed him, and in his anger he came towards me in so fast a movement that I did not anticipate and struck me hard with his fist squarely on my stomach. I gasped in pain and shock at his sheer power, indeed he was a powerful Vampire.

"Insolent child!" he hissed at me, taking my face in his hands so that I was staring directly at his golden eyes, "I assure you Itachi-kun, by the end of tonight I will not only be your Father, Brother and Teacher…-" a seductive caress swept over my right cheek, "I will be your Lover, I WILL have your Blood and your Body along with it."

He was quick on his feet, suddenly appearing before me with a kick to my chest. I coughed out blood and tried to steady myself but was not able to as another swift kick was directed to my side. I was already weak from blood loss, and the fact that he was a more powerful and old-blooded Vampire than I did not make things less difficult. It was obvious that I had very little to no power against him, that the few kicks and punches I threw at him were nothing but painless jabs to him. I was too young in the blood, and so very sickly, I couldn't fair against him.

Clawed and battered and with broken ribs, I stood very barely with a glare in place, stubbornly refusing to give in. Blood was smeared all over my face, and it was of my own. My ribs ached as I'd never felt them ache in immortality, I was drowning in pain.

Again he attacked, punching my face and sending me crashing to a wall. I hit my head hard and yes, it bled heavily, drenching me, stubbornly cascading over my eyes so that all I could see ahead me was red…red…red blood. It hurt so much that I couldn't fathom where exactly. I fought back with attacks that seemed to land but they lacked the power I wanted them to have, I couldn't hurt him as he hurt me.

…Maybe it was the blood loss or my injuries…well, I don't know which…but I remember finally dropping to my knees in front of my tormentor, my hands shaking uncontrollably and clutching the dirt beneath. And that laughter…His dreadful laughter above me, ringing and ringing in my ears louder than the prickling fires surrounding us, louder than the falling structures of wood and tile that used to house the greatest of minds and strongest of warriors…

His voice was so clear despite the pain that blinded me…

"Itachi-kun…you…are…beautiful like this." He told me, mocking me. He knelt with me and ran a hand through my hair, and I, beaten and broken stared back at him blankly, unable to move away lest he slit my throat with his nails and kill me by accident.

It was ghostly, these whispers of his, "Itachi-kun, I can see you now…powerless and bound in chains…pleasuring me, begging me for release…"

It was frightening…

"…think Itachi-kun, once we leave all this we can go back home, be how we used to be. You enjoyed traveling with me did you not? Seeing all those places surely had an effect on you. Why don't we go to Suna? That would be nice wouldn't it?"…all this he said to me as he ghosted feather-like touches on my cheek…It was so degrading for me, to be this creature's pet.

I glared at him as hard as I could, but it didn't have the effect I wanted, instead he smirked mockingly at my displeasure, "Such eyes…filled with much fire, passionate! Ah…how I love that about you!"

"…Itachi-kun, did you know? Before, during our travels…I always thought you were…like a porcelain doll, so beautiful you were, but with me…you had such dead eyes."

"Did you feel dead Itachi-kun? Hopelessly owned by me? Powerless and weak against one you so desperately needed like a Lover?"

I could not reply…he knew everything and it pained me to no end. But Lover…he was not.

"Come on Itachi-kun, admit it. You. Need. Me."

I did, I did…I did. But I didn't tell him that.

Upon not receiving a reply, Orochimaru got irritated but then he regained his composure and continued playing with my mind.

"Itachi-kun…did you know? Shisui used to be my lover as well." He said.

No…I did not know such a thing.

"He was a tender one, always drawing close to me at the waning hours of the night where he shan't see me as I am. And there we were, in his bed with the shadows watching over our sin-making. He loved me you know, he fell in love with a stranger hiding in the shadows…"

Oh Shisui…you love-struck fool! To fall in love with the Devil's charm! How weak of you!

"He wanted to runaway, far, far away, with me whom he slept with night after night without a single thought of what I was. It was so easy, sneaking into his room as I did, seducing him… Can you imagine it, that stupid boy wanting to elope with me? Hah, I laughed at this you know, as I killed him back then, by the river…he begged me to love him, begged like a dog for his life!"

…enough.

"And I laughed at him. He pleaded to be spared, with tears in his eyes! What happened then to his so-called 'Uchiha pride'? Bah! It was nothing! And when he finally had his final breath of life, did you know what he said to me? Did you?"

…I wanted him to stop…

But he just grinned at me and grabbed a fist full of my hair, pulling me close to him, our noses touching…tauntingly close, "He said to me… 'Orochimaru-sama, I Love You' …hah! Can you believe that imbecile! Loving his precious Murderer! It was pathetic!"

Such turmoil and woe gripped my aching heart; to hear all this…I could not stand it…

With all the strength I could muster, I shoved him away from me. Apparently it was hard enough that he did not anticipate it. He lost his balance and fell backwards onto the dirt road.

I could have laughed at what happened next…truly…it was just…how you say 'too damn lucky'.

Orochimaru lay there, on the ground, surprised at the sudden fall…and then…

Fortunate was I that one of the largest homes in our complex collapsed completely onto that bastard, its flaming foundations crumbling upon stone and toppling over the fallen Vampire.

Not as dramatic as I had hoped but, it was interesting hearing the sharp cries of pain from that creature, skin now burning as if covered with oil. His skull gave the most peculiar sound when it cracked you know.

Yes…he was highly flammable. You can stop thinking it now.

You might have been imagining a more…theatrical end for our evil Vampire, believe me, I expected such as well. I had the image of myself delivering the final blow to him dancing in my head, but then again, I was still…I begrudgingly admit, younger, reason enough to know that such a scene wouldn't play out at that time.

I am not ashamed of my victory, it was mortifying and unsatisfying but it was a victory nonetheless.

The strong lives on…the weak perishes. Therefore, Orochimaru was the weak one in the end.

The fire was spreading rapidly, coming towards where I sat motionlessly on the ground. I heaved myself up despite the protesting dizziness that invaded me. My legs felt heavy as I ran, my arms were a burden, and everything was simply overpowering me. Smells of decay and smoke around me, wave after wave of nausea coming at my senses.

But I was alive…to an extent, I was still alive.

I wanted to laugh at myself, for being so fortunate as to survive Orochimaru, but the damage had been done, lives had been taken…

…it was only then that I fully comprehended the gravity of my situation.

…Had Sasuke been caught in the crossfire?

At the thought, I stumbled…I had been too busy being blinded by anger that I had forgotten my Sasuke. Orochimaru had sworn that he would make Sasuke suffer…and Orochimaru was never a Vampire who did not keep his word.

Desperately I searched the whole complex as it burned hopelessly to the ground, increasingly growing weak at the immense exposure to heat I had to undergo. I yelled out his name over and over again, desperate, panicked… but as I moved from house to house all that met me was the crackling of flames.

And then…there it was; a strange rapping upon wood from deep within the confines of one of the lesser Uchiha homes. I entered, wary of the place; it had not burned completely just yet most probably because it was at the very edge of the lined homes, but it was still going down eventually. Behind it was the famous wall our family built, separating us from the outside world.

I heard the faint rush of water beyond the wall. A river or stream leading north.

"Help!" came a small voice, yelling as a foot pounded upon wood. It was Sasuke.

I wasted no time locating the source of this desperate cry; it came from within one of the burning houses to my left. Without a second's hesitation I entered the house and with my supernatural hearing I was able to quickly find Sasuke.

"Sasuke!"

"Help!"

The screen door easily slid open, revealing a room once dark now brightly illuminated by the dangerous fires sprouting around the corners where the flames from outside were able to enter. Everything was bathed with the yellowish glow of fire, it was eerie…an image of hell…The air inside was scorching making me dizzy from where I stood by the entrance; smoke had started to rise and collect within the room, smothering its sole occupant.

Sasuke was sitting at a corner, his hands tied uncomfortably behind his back at an angle which I was quite sure painful for him, and his raven eyes were tearing up from all the smoke, he was covered in soot and bruises. His ankles were tied together as well but despite this he managed to move himself towards the corner where he had kicked on the wooden screens to alert me to his location.

He was barely conscious, concentration wavering as the blaze approached dangerously close. Flames were reflected in his eyes, he was sweating from the heat, nauseous from the whole ordeal. He gasped for every breath as if it were his very last…coughs shook his frail frame…

"Sasuke," I untied his bindings and carried him bridal-style, surprised with how he was so light in my arms, so very light and small…

Fragile was the word.

He was so weak in my arms but stubbornly refusing to fall unconscious, he was in shock. We were able to escape that blazing hell with only a few scrapes, no serious burns fortunately.

But I was so tired and drained and hungry…what was worse was…I could smell blood.

And it was coming from Sasuke.

It was so tempting, believe me. Despite being amidst that scorching inferno, the scent of fresh blood seemed to override all my senses. His wrists and ankles were bleeding, showing just how much he had been struggling against the ropes that bound him. I felt myself stiffen, my fangs extended unconsciously, my eyes flashed with the glint of ravenous need, red as wine they were.

Please think for a moment just how deliciously enticing this scent of blood was for me at that moment, just the thought of it being my brother's, my Sasuke's blood was enough to make me hard. Blood coming from the one person I so desperately yearned for; body and mind alike. Lust is a powerful driving force, and Sasuke was the epitome of it.

With that scent…I thought of nothing else.

I wanted him, All of him. Imagine it, that sweet innocent body of an eleven year-old virgin boy, and a strikingly beautiful boy at that…just calling. I wanted to sink my fangs into that torturously inviting neck and drink the life out of him. I wanted him under me, writhing hopelessly and wanting more, panting in pleasure and moaning in ecstasy as I fed from him and pleasured him with my sinful touch. I wanted to hear my name from his luscious lips…

I wanted…needed…oh god I can't even describe to you these…animalistic urges of mine!

The Bloodlust raged within me.

I might've fed from him, I was so dangerously close to it…had it not been for the way he looked up at me, defenseless little thing.

…Realization hit me a little too late, he was looking at me…at my face, unmasked, without guise…exposed. All hunger drained out of me…

He studied my appearance, yes…those same lines under my eyes…that firm jaw…prominent nose…

"Ani-ki…" his eyes widened in recognition, "Aniki!"

And I was stupid enough to affirm this by reacting as I did.

"Otouto…"

We would have had some sort of emotional breakdown or so, I actually wanted us to just for the sake of holding him close to me…but my brother was weary, so very close to dying and I, I myself was near complete exhaustion. All around us the flames rose threateningly, the houses were at their limit, breaking down one by one creating a domino effect that struck down the other rows of houses. The trees were ablaze, their falling leaves burning as they blew softly in the heated wind. All was in chaos. We had to make our escape. I pushed my body once more to excruciating lengths, carrying with me Sasuke and hastily making our way to the river nearby, just outside of the Uchiha complex. A plan was formulating in my head, and fortunate was I to find my tools ready for me.

Near the river, yes I'm certain now that it was a river, was a shed containing several small boats for the fishermen. I pulled out one of the small wooden boats and put Sasuke in it, he did not make a fuss and calmly obeyed, and for this level of cooperation from him amidst our panic I was deeply thankful.

Everything was perfect; the flow of the river was steady. It was just smooth enough for a boat to move away from the chasing inferno behind us, just safe enough for Sasuke to travel on.

He was quiet as I grabbed several other necessities he might need, an oar and a blanket that I found, a few bandages and some alcohol from one of the other fishermen's boats for his wounds. I knew he had knowledge in first aid and would do well to treat his ankles and wrists. Only then in our silence did I realize that he was slowly dipping into unconsciousness again.

"Sasuke, Sasuke!" I held his arms firmly, shaking him from his trance. All this was confusing him so much and I being there and alive wasn't making things easier for him emotionally. He was tired, drained as I was, and if I knew him better I'd say he was near tears.

But I knew moreover that he was strong, he wouldn't lose himself in front of me that easily.

"Sasuke…listen to me." Oh how he looked back at me, those eyes showing his silent understanding, "Sasuke, can I trust you to do as I say without question? Can I trust you to keep yourself safe? Promise me."

"But I am safe! Aniki, you're here with me now and-"

"Please Sasuke…don't speak of me being here and of now or of this moment between us." It hurt him to hear these words from me whom he so worshipped…but what else had I to do? I'm dead. I'm dead…Dead and long gone from his life.

"Otouto…my Otouto…promise me all right, promise me that you won't fall asleep all too soon. Your body's still in shock. Falling unconscious while in such a state would-"

"-Result to me possibly not waking up ever again…I know." He gave me a sad smile, "You can trust me. I won't fall asleep for you…Sensei…Aniki…Itachi-nii…" For a moment, a tender moment…I looked at him properly and just saw how much he'd grown to become this…beautiful youth. So perfect and understanding…

The Bloodlust rose again. I pushed the boat away and towards the water, my legs were weak but I ignored it, the dirt underneath us was quickly replaced with the flowing water, gradually moving the floating vessel away from me.

"Aniki!" he called desperately, the boat was drifting away slowly…yet I stood firmly, unmoving.

"Sasuke-kun. Please don't call me that…I'm dead, remember?" I said to him, sadly...with much remorse and sorrow. This farewell of ours...it wounded my immortal soul.

"Aniki! Get on! Please don't leave me again! Please!" desperately, weakly, he reached out for my arm, he grasped it but I shook free. He attempted to get off the boat but I couldn't have that now, could I?

"Sasuke! Do not get off!" stern as I was, I couldn't find the voice to actually mean it.

"You have to come with me!" he pleaded, I denied him.

Tears. Tears. And more Tears...Desperation, Confusion, Longing...

"You haven't even explained to me why you're here! Why you are alive! Aniki please…I need you…"…the tears shimmered in his eyes; all guilt came crashing back to me painfully…the lies and deception…all my fault.

"Sasuke, I trust that you will keep yourself alive…you promised me you would stay alive…getting off that boat would be breaking your promise to me." I said calmly, "For all you know, I could be an apparition here…a mere spirit…so please Sasuke, do not get off…just…just leave…"

"But-!" before he could utter another word of protest I covered him with cloth and pushed the small boat a little more so that I wouldn't be able to follow him anymore. The water around me was already knee-deep as it was. He was frustrated and yelled, saying how sure he was that I wasn't some petty figment of his tired mind, but I ignored him as I should've since the very beginning.

I should've ignored Konoha, I should've ignored the Uchiha clan…I should've never returned to my obsession…I would never had brought along this plague had I not decided to meddle with his life for the sake of my selfish desire to see him.

o00o

Necro: Um…please don't kill me? Hehe. Yeah, yeah, I know…Oro's got it easy, going down like that but hey it makes sense doesn't it? Itachi couldn't kill him coz let's face it, Itachi's not at his peak performance and the whole 'theatrical bout to the death' is just too cliché, so I thought, "meh, him getting crushed underneath flaming piles of heavy rubble and sharp pointy wooden columns that could stake him through the heart…and lungs…and kidneys…and spleen Oo;; seems like a better death." Please review. Thanks. I wuv you all!!!


	9. Chapter 9

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: This is a fanfic, if I owned Naruto, I wouldn't be here…and Sasuke would have a LOT of sexy scenes and poses in Shippuden…and Sakura would be dead…yeah…I just don't like her, that's Kishimoto's fault. Sue me.

Necro: OMFG! I am SO sorry for making people sad-ish with my last chapter. I didn't know it was THAT sad, it didn't FEEL like it was, nlightisgay cried in chap 5 hehe, but I guess that's one more thing to remove from my TO-DO list: make people cry over a fanfic. You'll get used to my style though and don't worry; I don't like sad endings too so this fic will most definitely not end with something like that. I don't like it when that kinda thing happens. Also, I WAS gonna post this chapter on Chinese New Year but after reading all that positive feedback from everyone I just HAD to post it as soon as it was done. Btw, guys, check out Uncyclopedia, type in Sasuke. It was freakin' hilarious!!! Uchachacha clan, Manloveyou sharingan…Itachi the raging homosexual…XD Just wanted to share it with you people…no, scratch that, I DEMAND you read it! Bwahahaha!

--o00o--

**Bloodlust**

All right mortal, I've told you the first part of my life. I've detailed to you the basic essentials of my story although I have considerably shortened it for you, indeed, a human life cannot be justly told in a matter of a few chapters but I believe I have done my best. Now you know of how I lived as 'Itachi the Prodigy' then later on as 'Itachi the murderer' and then as 'Itachi the Enslaved.' Now you know of my pains, of my sorrows, of my regrets and guilt, and of my many years of anguish both as a mortal and as this…being that I am…you know of my secret love for my own flesh and blood…you know of my one-tracked destiny.

You know of how I twice disappeared from my beloved Otouto's life.

And he was there as it happened, literally watching as we drifted apart from each other for the second time…

That night…that fateful cloudless night, as the flames behind me danced on, destroying everything in its path, I looked forward towards the disappearing silhouette of my brother's boat. He so wanted to stay with me and would've had I not been stern with him going off alone. I hoped he could forgive me for going away again.

Eventually I disappeared from his view…blending ominously with the smothering smoke of Hell as it reached for me.

And all he could do…was watch.

o00o

You are wondering about what happened to Sasuke and I after the massacre, are you not? Well, I will get to that in a while, best to take it steady lest I destroy the easy flow of this tale.

Now…Sasuke…well, Sasuke drifted along the river as planned, eventually he must've arrived at another village though of this I am not so certain. With me, I was able to escape from the burning complex in one piece, but it was very barely. I almost died…again that night.

I had fled to the safety of, ironically, my old grave which was not very far from where I was. I managed to quickly dig out my coffin alone with only my hands; desperation really can be of great assistance when you're trying to survive.

Without ceremony I settled myself inside, exhausted and drowsy and so very close to unconsciousness. The velvet-lined box felt wonderfully welcoming to my aching muscles. I hastily put the top of the casket back on, shielding myself from the soon to come rays of the sun and half wondering if someone from outside the Uchiha graves and beyond the Uchiha compound would notice an old grave being occupied by a Vampire who supposedly laid dead in it a year ago.

The next night I woke feeling a bit better, not quite refreshed, absolutely far from it but at least a little more able. The lid came off with an easy shove of my hand and I rose from the grave, disheveled and covered with a mixture of dirt, soot and dried blood.

Suffice to say that I could not dwell in Konoha any longer, no, not after that murderous rampage…that grotesque carnage. Within minutes I had covered enough distance away from the tragic scene, all the while catching the whispered words of pity and shocked gasps of the village people. It must've taken them a while to subdue the fire, and even longer to salvage whatever bodies remained intact, if there were indeed any.

Imagine their surprise to find the all-powerful Uchiha clan gone within a single night due to a fire that quite oddly had not been put out earlier on, that and the fact that the family involved had been brutally mutilated beyond recognition, clearly, most of them had died by means other than being meagerly burnt alive.

Of what conspired within the Uchiha clan's walls, no one must ever know. No one must ever know of the tragedy befallen, just as no one has ever known the cruelties within those said walls that have haunted its inhabitants for generations passed.

It was…so frighteningly simple to just…get away from it all…from that morbid stench of death ad those parade of corpses… So simple to bring myself far away from that atrocious genocide…but my heart, my bleeding undead heart, oh it was not so easy for my heart for it wept and wept and did not want to leave just yet. But I digressed, pushing myself further away from it all despite my many wounds and my immense hunger for blood; I went onwards…not daring to look back at the killings I felt responsible for…

o00o

Wandering…wandering…idly wandering from place to place. Not knowing the warmth of a home or the welcomed embrace of a loved one…I went on like this for days on end, until they turned to weeks and finally a month and then several more which then turned into years…traveling without a soul…feeding out of necessity…living through the countless nights just to look forward to the less painful haunting of dreamless sleep. I had…not the foggiest idea of where my Sasuke could be, but I knew that even if I did I could not dare present my corrupt self to him as I had once done so foolishly.

Sasuke…my dear, dear, Sasuke…he was a brilliant mind, he was strong and capable of taking care of himself…deep inside I knew he was fine wherever he might've drifted to, I trusted him that much…and yet…

That protective sliver in me told me to check…but I couldn't even if I wanted to…

There were numerous reasons for me to sever all ties with him…but I suppose…now that I think about it…I had simply been…

…Afraid.

Afraid of what would happen if we were to meet again…Afraid of the possibility that he might have grown to hate me for all my lies. Yes, yes…I was indeed afraid of this.

So…there it was, complete control over my thoughts. I was truly not human then.

On and on I lived my damned existence like this, nights passed me without obstacle and soon I was fully healed from the scars of battle, only…my heart, my whole being still felt as if it were merely bandaged…not healed…just bandaged, slightly numbed…but it was still there, that dull ache of regret and remorse.

I've always thought my life was so meticulously charted by some vengeful ancestor or higher being of sorts as things have always been difficult for me both in my human and Vampire years…truly. So…when one night I arrived at a village called Otogakure and found myself sitting alone by the farthest table in a restaurant with a plate of Dango heartily given to me, for free mind you, by one of the swooning waitresses hiding in the kitchen, I was not all that shocked, although of course this was because I had the tendency to vaguely expect such, to see a very fleeting glimpse of a familiar head of spiked raven hair.

It was my Sasuke.

I almost dropped my Dango at the sight of him standing there with his back to me, dressed in a simple blue kimono and talking to one of the other waitresses who were not busy waiting tables or out back trying to catch my attention.

He had…grown…so much.

He still had that air of importance to him, that stature that made people step aside for him although this was a bit humbled by his uncaring gaze. Pale and flawless, I was glad he hadn't sported any scars from the fire. He'd grown taller as well, and his body was a bit more defined, from labor I guessed.

The last time I saw him, I had thought that his eyes had changed…this time…they were completely different.

Older, wiser…still deep enough to drown in…stunning.

They spoke of heartache…emptiness…a certain pessimistic dawning. Such eyes should not be worn by one so young…he had matured, no longer did he have that childish roundness to his face, now he had a powerful jaw, a prominent nose, he seemed almost aristocratic dare I say… quite a handsome youth, and yet…him having such a delicate-looking neck despite his sharper more deadly features fitted uncannily well.

Sasuke…he was like…a newly polished kunai, no…not something as crude as kunai…more like…

A katana…an ivory hilted katana with a blade that gleamed like the moon reflected in a riverbed…magnificent in how it was both artful and deadly.

Only then did I fully realize just how long I had wasted away my dreary life wandering as I did during those countless months of solitude and despair.

I had rotten in self-pity and guilt for more than two whole years.

It took all my will-power not to stand up and walk over to him…Oh, I was torn between wanting and not wanting him to spot me.

A little over a minute passed and he was gone.

And I let out a sigh of relief mixed with a tinge of pain. My eyes had been staring at the spot where he stood for quite a while now; I became aware of how the waitresses watching me noticed this. The offered Dango was still pinched between my fingers…

It was then that I realized…I would never ever be truly rid of Sasuke. Somehow, I was happy and tormented at the same time by this oddly comforting thought.

I did my usual trick of 'eating' in front of watchful human eyes, putting the sweets in my mouth and chewing, I swallowed smoothly and then quietly thanked the waitress who had given me the treat and then I walked away politely.

Once away from prying eyes, I vomited at a corner and set out to hunt for some real food.

Ah…Always with the charades when one is in the company of mortals.

o00o

The next night I returned to the same restaurant, only this time I actually ordered with the intention of paying for my Dango, it wouldn't fare very well if I were to keep coming back for free food now would it.

Around the same time as before, Sasuke arrived and was entertained by a different waitress who hastily scribbled down his order in the middle of all the hectic work the restaurant was doing; it was around dinner time and a lot of customers were present. I went unnoticed to Sasuke, dressed as I was in the most inconspicuous of clothes, my eyes did not glint too much and my skin was tainted with a healthy tinge as I had already fed earlier. All in all, I did not seem to draw his attention.

In only a few minutes his order was ready, he paid the waitress and left to eat it at his home I assumed.

Again, I made no move to follow home…only my eyes told the tale of my want.

Third night, I came again and sat at my usual place, this time the restaurant was not as full as the night before. I ordered my Dango and ate it in silence. Sasuke did not come.

The night after, the same schedule only this time Sasuke came and again did not see me, he ordered, paid and then left again. And I was on my third serving of Dango.

Dining at the restaurant became a nightly occurrence to me during those few consecutive nights. I had once again been drawn into somehow watching him and his life as I saw it, there was always that curiosity in me that ached to find out more, to discover more…

And discover I did.

His trips to the restaurant were not as consistent as mine as I had primarily deduced, I did notice though that during his random visits he always catches the eye of the waitresses much like I do although we don't even try to…ah well, there's a common trait in us Uchihas.

They seemed to like him a great deal, although he shows no interest in them, the girls aren't eye-sores mind you, some are even quite shapely and pretty, and yet he is agitated with them, interesting.

This routine of ours went on for several nights, perfectly in sync to the last minute until one night it slightly differed.

He ordered his meal as usual and sat in silence while waiting. I was at my usual corner supposedly eating my Dango while watching him quietly so as not to bring attention to myself and then some man from a nearby table approached him with unsteady steps, slightly drunk I sensed from his scent and from his few staggers. Well, this man came up to my Sasuke, spoke in some indecent way which I heard word for word by the way, perverse as he was, to everyone he seemed to merely be talking to my brother who was growing increasingly annoyed at the man's blatant advances.

I think my fists clutched a bit, I'm not so certain.

And then, from the corner of my eye, I saw the man's hand sneak under the table towards Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun, here's your ord-"

"Aggghhh!" the man yelped as a resounding crack of limbs sounded, heard by everyone; Sasuke had twisted his right arm, I felt a proud smirk tugging at my face.

The waitress holding out the food stood stunned at the scene, Sasuke was twisting the man's arm at an extremely painful angle, I knew. But he then released the man who quickly stepped back to examine the damage inflicted.

"You insolent little brat! How dare you-" Smack. A Dango landed on the man's forehead.

Such a waste, it had been my last piece too.

But I just couldn't resist.

"Wha-? Who threw that?! Show yourself you coward!" the man bellowed, indeed…such an imbecilic human.

All the while he raged on, Sasuke soundlessly slipped away and left, not staying for such an embarrassing scene. I told you he was a bright one.

Eventually the commotion died down, no one had really noticed that it had been me who flicked the offending piece of sweet upon that man's overly large forehead. I paid for what I ate and left, leaving a hefty tip for the apparent stickiness of my meal.

Later that night when that man and his friends parted ways, I stalked the man to a dark corner and pounced menacingly from the concealing shadows.

"Wha-? What are you?" oh you should have seen his terror-stricken expression, lower lip quivering and knees ridiculously shaking in fear.

…Such disgusting filth.

And for those hands of his that attempted to touch my brother…oh…I felt murderous intent seeping through every fiber of my being.

"You wanted me to show myself earlier in the restaurant did you not? Well, here I am." My eyes shone an ominous blood red; I always got hungry whenever my prey irked me so.

"You dared to touch what is mine…" barring my extended fangs, I stepped closer and closer as he stepped back in response.

"I-"

…and then…for him there was only eternal Darkness ahead…

His blood had not been very filling…too diluted with cheap liquor.

There really is such a thing as 'dirty blood.'

o00o

Alone in my room in one of the many Inns the village had to offer, with only the night sky laying witness to me, I sat rigidly still, contemplating…

Just how often did Sasuke find himself in such predicaments like that? He was all too calm in handling the situation…although he had been annoyed at first, but it had looked like it was a usual occurrence. He seemed quite used to it.

The thought of other crude company approaching him bothered me.

…I was compelled to watch over him longer than the few consecutive nights I had initially intended…

That very night I made a rather drastic decision which had been quite the opposite of what I knew would have been a smart idea. I threw away all notions of trying to keep myself from all things Sasuke and arranged for proper, more permanent living quarters for myself in the village with the money I had 'acquired' from my past victims.

…Oh…don't look at me like that, they were dead, what good would their money do for them if I had not taken it for myself? Some of them even gave their money to me willingly, offering huge amounts just so I would spare them. I did not. But then again, this is a story of a Vampire's life, not of a pious hero's.

Do I look like a hero to you? I should be offended.

o00o

Necro: There, not too sad-ish anymore with a tinge of normality, hehe. Again…Uncyclopedia, check it out, it's pretty cool. The article on Sasuke made me laugh so hard, people passing by thought I was some lunatic on drugs and sugar. But hey, just to tell ya', I love Sasuke and Itachi so uber much, just because the article was insinuating insults that doesn't mean I hate them ok. That's just how Uncyclo works. Oh, and uh GIVE ME REVIEWS! Thanks.


	10. Chapter 10

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: Ok, incase some people out there live under a rock, I don't own Naruto.

Necro: Sigh…this chapter would've been finished and posted sooner…but I was having a bad week and couldn't concentrate. I'm sure most of you know the tragic news in relation to 393…I couldn't help but feel mortified at what happened and yet somehow hopeful, it was expected but…still, other bad news that made my week suck; they took down that Sasuke article in uncyclo…no more Uchachacha, damn. Some more bad shit; in my city, a graduating Nursing student from my University was shot by some druggies, number two; there was a case of a burnt body found dumped somewhere. Sigh…

--o00o--

**Bloodlust**

Torture. Pure Torture. I can think of a thousand other words to describe what happens next but this word simply fits. Where should I start? Perhaps I should go back a bit just to give you the image and flow of what happened. Yes, yes I should.

Well.

As I've mentioned to you before, I had made the stern decision of keeping an eye out for Sasuke although initially this had not been the plan. I continued my nightly visits at the restaurant, ordering my usual dish and waiting for his arrival during certain nights. All the while I managed to get more information about him from those around me.

The waitresses were surprisingly the most informative lot, telling me things about his day and what not; I hadn't the ability to spy on him during the hours of bright daylight as you know so I was grateful for whatever information was given to me.

They told me that he was found near a riverbed two years ago, injured but alive for the most part. He smelled of sulfur and alcohol and was weak from whatever ordeal he must've endured, of what had happened to him prior his arrival at Otogakure he refused to tell, but despite this secrecy the villagers sheltered him.

He had been a silent one at first, only shaking or moving his head as a gesture to affirm or deny, in fact, people had thought him to be a mute of sorts. He barely looked up at anyone and never seemed to utter a word. Everyone thought this to be normal, for who knew what pains he had felt and what circle of Hell he had tormented in to be traumatized into such a state.

Sasuke was warmly received out of both pity and compassion, he was allowed to stay at an orphanage although the other children were weary of him at first, making him a focus of ridicule and calling him names such as 'river drifter' and 'pick up' simply because they knew he would not dare fight back lest he be cast away from the village but despite all these insults, Sasuke's lips remained shut.

It took several months for him to eventually be completely accepted by those of his age, him having to awe them with his various talents. His gift for calligraphy and poetry-writing delighted adults and his athletic abilities in practically every game earned him the respect and admiration of the other orphans.

It was roughly a few months after his arrival that he began to speak. Many were delighted by this, having not heard his voice before. Most described it to be endearing, others subtle, but all agreed that it had the tone of a promising man despite the fact that Sasuke was only twelve years of age or so. The adults clamored to him, discussing things of great significance and sharing knowledge, allowing him to sit with them as they spoke of governing individuals and of deep philosophies. Children, on the other hand were slightly awkward with him, thinking him perfect and untouchable, they regaled in his presence.

Yes, my brother had become an adopted child of this village, cherished by many, prized by all; I felt overriding pride for him, but enough about that. let us now proceed to the main topic at hand.

o00o

I acquired several pieces of information on Sasuke during those nights but eventually, stalking him at the restaurant would simply not suffice. The latest pieces of information were getting repetitive and much like useless gossip, eventually the idea of following him home increasingly became enticing to me as the nights progressed. One night I gave in out of sheer curiosity and stalked him, after all, who was there to stop me from doing as I pleased?

Off I went.

Silently I followed him as he made his way home, I, who was shrouded with the cloak of darkness, the shadows hiding me from the eyes of mortals moving about. Sasuke had once lived in the orphanage but was now the sole occupant of a small but cozy house at the edge of the village, given to him by one of the wealthy elders of the village whom I've heard had a healthy liking for him.

The house was simple, old-style Japanese built with sliding doors and futons and those tatami mats that never seem to escape our lives. It was very similar to how the Uchiha homes were back then when they still stood on glorious Konoha lands. But this house was so very different in a way, when before our houses were filled with Uchihas sprouting here and there, this house was devoid of any other occupant other than Sasuke.

Poor little brother of mine…head of a house at last, but of a clan that no longer lives on.

Blood-red eyes watched as he slipped off his sandals to enter the household, I quietly tagged along from where I crouched outside, peeking through the many open doorways of the airy home.

He took out the food he had bought from the restaurant, placing them in bowls and gathering himself an assortment of salt, pepper, soy sauce and some chopsticks. The heated tea kettle by the side sounded, his herb tea was ready.

With small dainty bites he ate his dinner, basking in the solitude provided by his home. The skies were clouded but he chose to eat outside, sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor as he surveyed the small vineyard of tomatoes in his backyard.

Hmmm…tomatoes…why had I not seen that coming?

I guess he still loved tomatoes as much as he did back when he was nine.

I smiled at the thought.

…And…for a second, he seemed still.

A shrug, and then he continued to eat his hot meal.

o00o

After his meal Sasuke got to preparing himself for bed, it was almost painful watching him doing everything all by himself, so very wrong and abnormal. Sasuke was an Uchiha, he was practically royalty, and to see him doing household things like preparing his own tea and pulling out his own futon, well…it left an awful taste in my mouth. An Uchiha should never be left to be his own servant, it was degrading. We weren't a lazy lot mind you, we still did things ourselves, Mikoto had been adamant that we do chores despite having numerous servants…but to see Sasuke doing these things because he didn't have a choice…well, it irked me to see just how far down we've sunk into a sort of poverty.

I watched him pull out a simple white yukata from one of the drawers in the bedroom; it was very similar to the ones I used to wear only this one was of a lower quality.

Here lies the Torture.

It was dark, with only the faint glow of an old-fashioned oil lamp burning by the side, illuminating the room with its soft light. His steps were silent, his movements graceful until he stopped in the middle of the room and began to disrobe.

Despite the scarceness of light, I saw every teasingly delightful detail.

The blue kimono fell off his smooth shoulders, first off the left and then, almost teasingly slow it slid off the right. The sash around his thin waist came next, cloth rustling softly as he undid the knot holding his garment together. The sight of more pale flesh came into clear view, tauntingly perfect without a single blemish and so very soft like a woman's…no…even softer, any woman would be envious of such flawlessness…

I watched, entranced… bizarrely enthralled at the sight of him.

So beautiful…that was all I could think of as I watched him undress. Strange how such a simple act could fill me with such rapture.

I felt myself desperately drawn to touch that unmarred skin, so very drawn indeed.

It was like watching a mortal Adonis in all his glorious male beauty…bare and seemingly vulnerable…

Unconsciously I shifted, moving to get a better angle. I felt at peace but at the same time excited…fascinated and spellbound…I saw his chest, broad, smooth, again…perfect. I saw the way his chiseled stomach shifted with every little movement…the muscles were defined but not robustly masculine…a little more subtle.

Slender hips barely covered…that body so scantily clothed with only the waist covered by loose cloth…

Oh how little it would take for that obstructing piece of garment to just…slide off.

A strange feeling stirred from within me…a feeling that was human.

It was then that I realized…I was…aroused by all this…and it was in a way that was different from the intoxicating taste of blood.

I felt myself harden more as I gazed on…thoughts of what I would do to that luscious body running amuck in the confines of my treacherous mind, making me blush as I have never done so before. In my mind's eye I was touching him, everywhere, feeling that silken skin and tasting every inch of it with my tongue…forcing that sweet young body into submission…

Suddenly Sasuke was underneath me, helplessly mine…panting as our bodies moved in rhythm…his raven eyes stared with a desperate primal hunger at my blood-red ones.

His cries of pleasure rang throughout the silent home, his touch invitingly warm against my cold skin, his nails digging into my flesh, drawing out blood as he moaned my name in pure unadulterated pleasure over and over again. He was rubbing hard against me, desperate for more, face contorted to the most beautiful expression of ecstasy, painted with a pretty flush…

I was so close…so very close to losing it. Everything was suddenly all too hot for me, my clothes felt all the more constricting, my muscles tensed and again came that odd feeling from the pits of my stomach.

It felt so good, this…pressure building up. I couldn't help it, those sensual images raced on…bleeding lips upon mine, feathery kisses trailing down towards my most sinful pride…those eyes watching…witnessing everything and loving it, closing only when the pleasure overrode the senses with so much ecstasy that it hurt!

…I came.

…I moaned.

And it. Felt. Wonderful.

…But that scene was all in my dirty little Vampire mind.

…Funny though, by the time I opened my eyes and tore myself away from that aching fantasy of mine, my object of obsession was already dressed in his pristinely white yukata, searching for an extra blanket lest the night become colder. I had missed the show. Pity

After a while he fell asleep facing the view outside, by then the moon had made its appearance, illuminating his angelic features with its bluish glow. In his slumber he dreamt of peace and as he slept on I surfaced from the shadows of his humble bedroom, an immortal voyeur come out to make his escape.

Yes, yes, I felt very much the voyeur I thought I'd been that night…being pleasured by the very sight of that young body without its modesty…I felt the guilt, but it was good.

Soundlessly I disappeared from sight, gone with my preternatural speed. The apparent stickiness in my trousers was still there; indeed I had enjoyed myself far more than I'd thought. This is where I discovered another interesting fact about us Vampires that Orochimaru had failed to teach me, apparently as seen in this…experience, we Vampires can, as you people crudely put it 'cum in our pants'.

…All right, all right, I know it sounds so unfitting, those words coming out of my mouth of all things, but it is as you crudely put it. Stop it. I know you're thinking of that image and of me saying that ludicrous line again.

Strangely, instead of being overcome by disgust at this apparent sign of mortality, I simply felt glad for this as it was the most human thing we Vampires could do. At least, with this, I was brought closer to being human.

We cannot sire children as men do…that is the only draw back. What seed escapes us are but seeds of the dead, utterly useless when planted into a woman's womb. I'd hazard a guess that they were deadly for women as well for what good would the dead's seed bring to one that seeks birth.

Alas, I've digressed again, forgive me as I've started with my ramblings again.

Well, this was not where the Torture ends…in fact it spanned for several more delicious nights.

Every night it seemed to happen again and again, with me striding throughout the village streets like a human and hunting my prey, and then silently stalking my sweet brother home until it came the time for him to rest and undress. I knew it was perverted, I knew it was wrong…but I just couldn't stop it.

The feeling was simply all too human, that feeling of immeasurable pleasure…and think; what I was doing was guiltless in comparison to the pleasure I've drawn from blood of those I kill.

It was pure. It was human. It was Lust. It was Love.

Sometimes I couldn't help but moan louder than expected, and in these nights Sasuke did suspect something lurking in the confines of his room, in which case he would immediately dress himself and search for the source of the sound. He never found me of course as I was too smart and too swift with my numerous escapes from him. There were also times when I was at the highest peak of ecstasy, not knowing that my hands were pleasuring me as well, the sight of that pale skin fueling my lewd thoughts even more.

Those were such hot nights indeed…

o00o

It became a routine for me, this perversion of mine, going into his home undetected and watching him, once or twice in a week soiling myself with sin as I gazed wantonly upon his pale skin. Over and over it became a vicious cycle, seemingly unending as long as I was not discovered by Sasuke. It seemed a very far away thing to me, discovery I mean, for I was a Vampire, agile and swift…but I was wrong to think that it would take months for me to be found…very wrong.

One night, everything was as it was supposed to be with me hiding in a corner and Sasuke eating his dinner… all seemed well enough, until he started to cough.

It was a small cough, nothing serious, but it gradually grew and shook his frail frame. I became worried and was about to move to get a clearer view but then he spoke.

"I'm fine" he said, his cough slowly fading into smalls pants.

My eyes widened in surprise; he'd known I was there.

From the corner of his eyes he looked into the shadows, his gaze piercing through mine as if waiting. His face was flushed from the coughing…I couldn't help gazing back. So sure of himself he turned towards my direction, his gaze unwaveringly accurate, set firmly at the shadows around me.

There was no way he could've seen me there in the darkness of the night, and yet he did, somehow, he did know that someone was there…he did know that someone had been watching.

I smirked…and applauded him.

…Just a few claps…

Clap…clap…clap.

…Slow and solitary, coming from the darkness and eerily echoing throughout the empty Japanese home. We were alone after all, just the two of us…in silence. I kept to the shadows, somehow reveling in the comfort and guise they gave me however ludicrous that may sound to you, and he, my dear Otouto continued to watch the dark corner whence I sat, his eyes focused on the pitch black nothingness, seemingly seeing but not seeing.

For a long time we intently looked at each other as if reading each other's mind…my eyes must've glowed an ominous blood red, why, I could see their eerie glint reflected on my Otouto's own black orbs. We simply stared down each other until finally we broke contact…he blinked.

And I was gone.

The strange entity in the shadows had fled in that single blink of an eye…Sasuke was left to wonder.

…Were you hoping for a confrontation? The ultimate reunion of us two brothers…? Well, it did not occur that night…oh heavens no…I had made myself scarce once again, as I have done so for so many times in my tale…I had fled…retreated to my lavish room at an expensive Inn. I had thought it to be the best move…I had no thought of revealing myself.

Oh no…I suppose it was because I was embarrassed, embarrassed to confront him, him whom I have been watching all this time…Oh how awkward would it be to find your own brother, alive or dead, watching you at home…a voyeur undead!

Yes. I was embarrassed, ashamed…absolutely humiliated at being found out.

Think of it…I was a…I was…

I was…a Peeping Tom.

o00o

Necro: There you go! Chap 10! I feel much better having finished this, and for watching some YuGiOh abridged series, you guys should try it. YuGiOh the abridged movie is out on Youtube, it's by LittleKuribou. I love his work! He always manages to put a smile on my face. Review my fic please! Don't forget! Love you guys. Oh! And nlightisgay, thank you for advertising my story, I just recently found out that that's what you've been doing, imagine my surprise when I found out, it really made me smile. Thank you again.


	11. Chapter 11

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto…Itachi wouldn't have had to…you know! He would've…uh…just fainted with his eyes open…yeah!

Necro: Hehe, someone actually noticed how there was practically no dialogue in the last chapter. Chap 10's only dialogue was Sasuke's "I'm fine" hehe, I bet some of you didn't even notice the lack of dialogue, c'mon admit it.

--o00o--

**Bloodlust**

The next night found me alone at the same old restaurant at my usual corner, quietly sitting there unapproachable. I could not help but feel slightly troubled now that Sasuke knew that he was being watched. How much did he know? I found myself wondering, for him to be aware of my presence that night, and how could he have known when I had been so deliberately careful…although there were certain mishaps wherein I may have alerted him a bit, but these could have passed for sounds made by a passing cat or a stray dog…none of these could've possibly been that apparent, I barely noticed them myself.

…I sat there alone, watching the thin strips of white steam rise from my herb tea forming patterns in the air that made me feel somewhat serene and at peace, the fragrant tea leaves' scent making its way to my nose, relaxing and new to me as I have often smelled nothing else but blood and dirt for so long…and then finally after minutes of monotonous silence I opted to leave for indeed, what else had I to do at that restaurant when my Sasuke was already suspicious of his unnamed stalker. But as I moved to rise a plate of dango was placed before me. Again…it was a free meal from those swooning waitresses, but I wasn't in the mood for such things.

I looked up with the full intention of declining the gracious offer…and stopped.

"Good evening…" the person said.

And all I could do was gape there like a common lout caught off guard.

"It's been a while…"

Those lips moved…that voice sounded clear…all else was muted.

"Itachi-niisan"

My Sasuke…

I may have looked only a bit surprised on the outside but inside I was in such turmoil, feelings surged from within the depths of my black soul as I gazed upon my one and only brother. Who would've guessed that we would meet in such circumstance…we were a pair of strangers in a restaurant with the whole world as our witness…and what a sight it was to watch…

Sasuke…I had never looked at him at such a close proximity, realize that we were but a mere arm's length from each other and at this distance…at this sheer painstaking closeness…I saw him as I had never seen him in so long a time.

His eyes looked down from where he stood beside me, they were blank, hollow and misty, I could not read what raced within his heart…there was only a sense of ease in him that did not show him being affected by this meeting of ours. It seemed he had perfect control over himself, I saw no fault, no hesitant pause…no fear at all in his raven eyes…and I thought 'What horrors indeed have you gone through dear brother of mine? For you to become this steeled against feeling…' Let me remind you of how old he was, a mere 12 or 13 year old at first glance but…with eyes that have seen so far ahead of his age.

Was he afraid? Was he overjoyed? I had not a single clue of how he felt then. I merely sat still, watching him watching me, waiting as he waited for…something…anything that would make us move the cogwheels of faith that could have stilled for us and our reunion. Slowly I moved to rise again, realizing for the first time that he and I were brothers once more in the eyes of those who watched us.

A pair of raven haired youths, so similar, so familiar with each other, ties of destiny still intact however thin these strings might have been…brothers…brothers…brothers once more.

The restaurant felt stuffy and closed to me, I felt as though, ridiculous as it may be, that I was on display, bare and without my human guise…as though the mortals around me knew that I was not one of them…but this was not so. After several fleeting glances towards us siblings and a few whispered guesses as to how we knew each other the customers returned to their meals as though they were not witnessing a most vital scene between two brothers of tragedy. After all, what did they know of tragedy indeed? They had no idea of our heart-aching pasts or of my desolate immortal self…

…Sasuke spoke to me once more.

"Perhaps we should continue this…conversation else where." A nice tenor voice he had…so young…refined… With that he turned away from me gracefully as he has always moved and I stood to follow, equally refined as he was. We made our exits, calm and collected, eloquent with our movements keeping in mind those old lessons of Uchiha mannerisms that have been pounded into our young minds so long ago…people turned their sights towards us again, feeling in awe of us…polished, perfect persons.

The plate of dango was left forgotten.

o00o

I soon found myself sitting on a cushion in Sasuke's home, we were in the dining area and he sat across me from the small traditional Japanese low table, preparing some herb tea for us as though we were mere acquaintances having a pleasant get-together, all too normal it seemed to me…

The room was dark, as dark as it has always been within the humble abode, once again with only the moonlight and stars from the night sky serving as our source of luminance, we were bathed in blue…and it was beautiful. Like a dream, this scene that played out before us, the scent of nice hot tea, and the cool wind blowing against our skin so casually.

But it was all too real.

"So," he said, again with that calmness in him, "I'd rather skip the pleasantries and idle chitchat, after all, I've already poured you your tea…that should suffice."

I kept quiet, unnervingly so…

"…what brings you back brother? Why return to me? Why bother even?" he spoke, that voice laced with hidden venom…it was as I had feared. He was not very pleased with my reappearance in his life.

Again, I kept my mouth shut, speaking seemed all too much of a bother to me…I found it easier to just…be still, silent.

Those raven eyes glanced at me, staring me down as though in a form of challenge, it should've brought a shiver of fear through me for Sasuke was an intimidating youth himself but…instead, I found myself amused…as though I were staring back at my little brother from all those years ago when all else was so very simple and transparently gray…back when he was clueless, a mere wondering child, rather ignorant of the horrors of man and of his sins…back when his glares looked like pouts and the worst thing he could do to spite you was to stick his tongue out in defiance.

I should've been afraid, in fact I should've at least been a little intimidated…but I wasn't. I should've flinched, or hunched in submission and shame…I should've at least done something as cliché as swallowing in nervousness…but I did no such.

Instead, I gave a chuckle.

…A dark foreboding chuckle of amusement that sounded like a devil amused by the shenanigans of his little pet imp. It was a deep chuckle, rich, composed, mockingly elegant in its tone…hovering and laughing with selfish glee as though it were teasing and yet at the same time it was proud and pleased.

Sasuke broke his façade, the calmness he'd radiated earlier shattered like a mirror shot at point blank, what composure and cool he had before evaporated with my simple unexpected gesture…his face contorted to that of disbelief at my little antics and then slowly it turned into dislike, embarrassment and hatred with perhaps…a tinge of hurt I wondered.

"What? You find this amusing? You find this to be hilariously funny! Oh that is rich! Indeed, you truly are the epitome of wickedness aren't you? You find this-this tragedy to be a hilarious satire of sorts!" my brother spoke in outrage, his hands grasping dangerously tight around the teapot as he poured some more tea for himself.

I wanted to laugh at him a bit more, once again finding hilarity in our situation and in how he just spoke to me…using those big words and sounding like a grown man. But I didn't, I just sat straight as I have done so all this time and looked down at the still full cup in my hands, a thin strip of steam still emanating from it.

…I thought and thought…blankly, words dancing around in my mind…we were silent again, awkward once again…distant yet closer…

"How?" a voice spoke…at first I thought it was Sasuke speaking but then cast that thought aside realizing it came from my own lips…I had accidentally voiced out my thought.

"Ah…so he does know how to speak…not just laugh at my expense." He said mockingly, but I kept silence once again at this.

Finding me difficult to converse with, Sasuke opted to reply, scornful remarks aside, "How what?" he replied to me, still irked but more or less he'd calmed down.

"How did you know I was there? And for how long have you known?"

He sat up straighter, sizing me up once again, no doubt comparing himself to me in his mind, I knew how his mind worked, I knew how he wanted to be just like me, just like his perfect Aniki, and I always thought that was quite adorable, but then, well…I suppose I was quite annoying even to myself, I felt a tinge of irritation at Sasuke somehow…seeing that side of him that so resembled me, it just screamed 'Itachi incarnated' and that was all too haughty…

"Well…you might not have noticed but I did" my brother answered.

"What do you mean?"

"The dust," he said, "The dust on the floor."

I looked around the room, noticing finally the dust in it. It was usually clean, the first time I had seen the place it was immaculately so, but for the past few nights the room seemed a tad bit dusty as though the owner had neglected to do the floors. The dirt was very little mind you, only a thin layer around the corners of the room. I actually just thought that Sasuke was feeling lazy the past week, not bothering to polish his floors.

"I left the floors of the house neglected, going about my usual business of cleaning everything else. It was when the dust had accumulated a bit more that I finally became sure of my feeling that someone had been watching me for a while." He said, "You see, I purposely left the corners to be dusty to see if anyone ever hid there at night without my knowing."

It sunk in…so simple yet brilliant.

"One morning I noticed how there were disturbances on the dust, it could've been a cat that wandered in while I was out but there were no cats around here nor were there any traces of fur or such. Also, on the following days I found not just smudges but also footprints disrupting the film of dirt. It was obvious my nighttime prowler was a person."

I was careless…

"And then, I heard some small rather insignificant rumors at the restaurant, rumors that told of a man with long black hair in a low ponytail who always ate dango there every single night, it was suspicious that nobody knew his name or why he was there…I figured it had to be you."

"How so?"

Sasuke gave me a smirk, "You used to be such a glutton for dango, and you had a habit of eating it while waiting for our parents to come home. Don't deny it, I remembered." he finished, apparently proud of himself for job well done.

"Yes…yes I was…and you, you're still quite fond of tomatoes I take it, seeing that you have your little tomato garden out back." I teased, "I never really did figure out why you liked those so much."

I smirked back, "Don't deny it, I remembered." I said, mirroring his earlier statement.

He blushed, embarrassed…it was adorable…he, was adorable.

"Shut up! You…!" came his frustrated response; I merely smirked back at him, he continued, "So? Well? What is it exactly that you want from me? What brings you here to Otogakure of all places?"

Hmmm…Otogakure…so that was the name of the village…

"I don't know." I replied, simply because I really did not now what I was doing there…indeed…what was I doing there when I could've gone elsewhere? When I could've left without ever alerting him to my presence…I was just too damn stubborn to leave.

"You don't know? You. Don't. Know? What…kind of an answer is that my dear brother?" he said, mocking me as though to hurt me…and I admit, it did hurt me, it did sting when he called me 'brother' as an insult…

I sat silent again, pretending to be unaffected by his cold words, collecting myself so as not to break in front of Sasuke.

He continued, "Has time done your mind much damage Itachi? Has it finally driven sanity away? Did you-did you finally become a common idiot? My, how weak we've become dear Aniki…how weak indeed…for you to go this low…for you to stalk Me." anger laced his words; no longer did he intend to keep up calm facades and proper pretenses with me. He was angry, furious…and yet I doubt he truly knew why. Was it because I had come back to him? Was it because I left him? I did not know for sure, and neither did he.

And just how much did he take pride in himself? I wondered, the way he spoke…he was practically stabbing at my dignity with a knife covered with snake venom. I suppose this was his little revenge.

"I never came back for you, Otouto" I replied, cold, hard, unnervingly sweet, "I never meant for you to discover me, so there, I did not come back to you. Not once did it occur to me to meet you, to talk to you, to sit before you like this. Yet…I wonder why you've come to me instead."

Sasuke's eyes widened with disbelief at my words, I had hurt him, I knew I did, "Well…how could I not pay mind to a person who hides in the cloak of night to watch me like a hovering ghost!? What is wrong with you!? Don't you dare turn my words against me! I know you will."

"Sasuke…sweet, tender Otouto of mine." I practically purred at him, my eyes seemed to glow red, but not so flaringly obvious, "Don't you get it? You say I hovered like a ghost…oh but I am, Sasuke, I AM a ghost in your life…you just managed to catch me this once. Did I not make it clear to you before, when I left you to survive on your own, that you were to forget me and that I was dead? I was dead to you once, I asked you to let me be dead to you again."

His brows furrowed, I could see him tense in that thin blue yukata he wore.

"You sought me out, and it was out of your own volition Otouto. I never asked you to pursue me, yet you did despite the fact that you had the clear idea that your 'stalker' as you so crudely put it was me, your brother."

"But-"

"But nothing Sasuke, come now, you were the one who dug yourself in too deep. I just might say that perhaps you were hoping it was me, with all that effort you put in, 'heard rumors', I don't think that was it, I think you actually went through the trouble of investigating. I've never heard of such rumors, and you know that I've always known everything that goes on about me."

"Enough! Stop turning this against me!" he yelled, eyes flashing a dangerous glint…

…tea had spilt at his outburst…and it was from my cup.

We both looked at the spill on the table as though it were salvation from our talk. Calmly, he pulled out a piece of worn cloth and cleaned the mess, I set the cup upright.

Without a glance at me, Sasuke continued albeit a little more calm than previously, "You're right, there were no rumors, I made that one up. I wanted to know if it was really you, so I asked around at the restaurant."

"I told you not to seek me…I told you I was to be a fleeting memory…" I looked at my cup…empty…just like Sasuke's eyes.

"How…could I not seek you out Aniki? When the last time I saw you…you barely seemed…"

I visibly tensed. "…seemed what Sasuke?"

A pause…he looked up at me, a mixed emotion in his eyes…was it sorrow for me? No…it was not…I don't know.

"…you barely seemed…"

Sasuke…

"…yourself."

I barely seemed myself he said…oh if only he knew.

"You were…off. I don't know. I can't really remember much of what happened in that fire…it felt as though it were some far away nightmare…I could barely keep myself awake…I wanted to just sleep, everything…everything was so boisterous and loud…and then you appeared, an apparition I thought at first…until you took me in your gentle arms and we fled into the night."

"Otouto…"

From somberness Sasuke turned to me and as if we were once again in that graveyard years ago, he spoke to me as if he were speaking to my gravestone, "You left me…for the second time…and it hurt…so much Aniki. Don't think that I've forgiven you just because I am telling you all these things. I have not! And I refuse to forgive you for what you did…abandoning me…letting me watch as my home burned to the ground while I was safe in that godforsaken river."

He glared at me, long and hard…his fists were shaking in silent rage, "You abandoned me! I was scared! I felt safe in your arms but you pushed me away and left me on that boat! I thought we were going to flee together, I thought I still had someone…I thought I wouldn't be alone…but you just stayed there. You made me make that stupid promise to take care of myself…I would've swam back to you! But…but the smoke was too thick…and I couldn't…I couldn't see you…"

…Such sad eyes. "…Just like that…you were gone…again."

…What could I say? What was there for me to do? He was right and I was wrong. It was my grave fault, my idiocy that pained us both; "I'd like more tea Sasuke" was all I could muster. My voice was level, void and dead, but it was me…the same old calm and calculated me, talking…weeping inside, but infallible.

His glare died…I could see him struggling with unshed tears, he refused to show me those tears…he was probably sick of it…and then he spoke to me…chillingly cruel as though he were me.

"I don't serve tea to the dead."

…I…was…shaken.

"That's what you are, aren't you? You said it yourself," those eyes pierced through my own, deep and cruel and so very angry, "You're just a ghost now…hovering over me…thinking yourself to be my angel of protection…"

…I was tormented.

"Well…if that's how you want things to be…all right, I'll play along with your sick morbid view of loving one's brother…you will be Itachi…the memory."

…for my sanity's sake…I wanted him to stop. But he just would not.

"Uchiha Itachi…Deceased brother of mine…"

Sasuke…Otouto…

"May you rot in your own Hell…and burn till the end of eternity…unchanging evil that you are…I rid myself of you."

So cruel…heartless…and yet…I deserved it…

o00o

Necro: Chapter 11 done. By the way, I've got a new Naruto fanfic called **"A BrOtH3r's Pr0mIse" **so let me tell you a bit about it. It is ITASASU and set in the real world so it's AU but it starts off during their childhood, yay CHIBIS! But then they lose their parents, enter the Social worker, they get sent to an orphanage and stuff, so there's the basic flow of it. I'd tell you more but…nah, you'll have to read it for yourselves. Just wrote it in a whim. As for Bloodlust, don't forget to leave a nice and long review! I'm a sucker for those, plus it's a lot more fun replying to long revs rather than short ones.


	12. Chapter 12

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…I swear…yes, I did try to kidnap Kishimoto…yes, we made an arrangement, thus the reason why we have that delicious pic of Sasuke naked and covered with snakes in the 2nd Shippuden opening theme. Lolz.

Necro: I am so confused right now. You have no idea. I re-read this story and damn it I made myself confuzzled. Oh and….chapter 400 and 401 waaaaah! Itachi should be a Saint…! I KNEW his reasons were something like that! When I read 401 earlier today, YES TODAY, I was like…ZOMGWTF? Must. Post. Chap 12!

--o00o--

**Bloodlust**

The rain poured down on me as if in lament, mercy be damned I deserved those bitter words, but my heart still ached for that thread of compassion. I am a damned creature, and I knew this very well from the start, but could evil such as I deserve pain such as that of a beloved brother's hatred? I would've wept in turmoil, drowned in it, died in it, but I could not summon my tears, all that echoed in my disturbed mind were those words of malice and rejection…what more if I had told him of my Lust for him…?

…Of my Love for him.

I walked onwards in the rain, I was no longer welcome to his home, his insults made sure of that, chasing me away with words of cruelty and spite, and him refusing to look me in the eye as though we were strangers…as though I was a mere leper to him, a Nothing. And it felt so cold, those words of his that pierced through me like a stake of ice. Colder still when I knew…when I knew that I had probably hurt him more than he hurt me…this was why I did not want him to discover me in the first place, I feared this rejection that poisons our love…

In my head his voice rang louder than the singing rain…harsh, vindictive…those words strung together…hurtful.

'I don't serve tea to the dead' he had said…Oh why did I find this all too painful? Was it because he'd finally chosen to treat me as though I was? …Because he had finally heeded my advice?

'…you will be Itachi…the memory' …such spite and ill will.

'Uchiha Itachi…Deceased brother of mine…' Oh yes, it hurt…because I was truly dead to him now.

But what hurt me the most…

'May you rot in your own Hell…and burn till the end of eternity…unchanging evil that you are…I rid myself of you.'

That…had done me in, plunged the blade through my heart and tore me from the inside…it exploded like a festering pit of fire and burnt flesh…I felt myself fall off the bridge of sanity.

I wanted to die. I wanted to hang myself. I wanted to slit my throat. Drown myself in a river somewhere. Climb up on one of those houses and fall off head first, crack my skull and watch the blood ooze out. Take a knife and plunge it through my pulsing heart, show it to everyone…show everyone that I was a desolate fool. Always so calculating…but oh so fragile it seemed.

…I felt lost…and then…it came to me.

'May you rot in your own Hell…and burn till the end of eternity…unchanging evil that you are…I rid myself of you.'

Burn till the end of eternity…such irony in those words…at first I'd thought that he meant the Circles of Hell to be my Inferno, yet my 'own hell'? Such a choice of words…

And what of that remark…Unchanging evil, he had called me…all too odd for an insult, it occurred to me…

…and so I pondered…

He knew.

o00o

My feet carried me to the slippery rooftops and I darted back to the isolated home, thoughts of confusion racing in my head. Sasuke had known all along…and I was too blind, too naive to even think of that ever happening on its own. That cunning little bastard had stumped me for the last time, playing me out like that.

I landed in the tomato garden, the mud felt disgusting under my feet yet I was careful not to step on the precious produce. And there he was, sitting under the sheltering roof with a plate of sliced tomatoes and a cup of that herb tea of his, a devil with an innocent façade…The crafty little demon child.

…how I loved that in him.

"You knew," I said as calmly as I could, it was taking all my will power not to take him roughly by the arms and shake the truth out him.

The rain continued…

…Nothing. He just ignored me as though I was not there. I stepped forward. No reaction. Another step. Nothing.

I came as close to standing directly in front of him, looking down from where I stood towering, a madman soaked, eyes flashing dangerously, and yet he refused to look at me, opting to look past my shoulder and at the rain clouds over head that continued to pour. I was wet, hungry and irritable from not having fed on a single mortal that night. I did not need this insolence from him. So frustrating it all was to me.

Just like that, I snapped and grabbed his arms in a swift movement, tackling him to the floor. I heard him gasp. Surprise was eminent on his delicate features, his eyes showed panic and he seemed paralyzed for a moment, the tea and tomato slices had spilled on the tatami mats.

He looked up, fear in his eyes as he looked at mine. What did he see? Anger? Turmoil? Hell? Fleeting remnants of my broken sanity?

Regaining his composure he spoke acidly, "get off of me you demon!" he cried out loud, trying to push me off of him but all was in vain. He struggled under me long and hard, but I would not yield, I wanted to know everything he knew…he'd let on so little of what he had been aware of. He thrashed and thrashed, stubborn, trying to twist away and escape as though his life depended on it. Again, I wouldn't move, he struggled again, desperate, panicked, scared…still nothing.

My arms were blocking him from both sides as I sat on his thighs as an extra measure…I looked down at him, precious little thing, my wet hair leaving droplets of water on his porcelain cheeks. It was all too enticing…our bodies so close like this, absolute torture every time he attempted to struggle for freedom. But I kept still, I needed my answers first.

He was gasping by the time he was done with his thrashing about, too spent to even glare properly at me. Instead he looked to his side, at the wasted tomatoes and sighed in surrender, defeated at last.

I smirked mentally at this little triumph.

He kept quiet, stubborn as he was. I tried again…only calmer, "You knew…"

It was almost instantaneous, his feisty reply, "That you weren't as human as you thought you were? Yes, yes I did know." He spat viciously at me, those eyes of his full of determination not cower in fear…Fear, I did not want this from him…I did not want him to fear me.

"…how?" I replied.

Such anguish he must feel, having kept this knowledge…this sin that damns me to Hell in his eyes…

So soft, his voice, so shamed as he spoke to me miserably, reminiscing what must have been painful to him from long ago, "It was when you first held me in your arms again…mother had passed away that night…and you were there to comfort me, pathetic sobbing child that I was." He said disdainfully, humiliated at his weakness.

Ah yes…the night Mikoto…our mother, died…when I came to him in the guise of a servant, a guest, one of the mourners.

He continued, "I had hazarded a guess that it was you, that servant who offered me his kindness…I even told you that you felt familiar to me…hoping that somehow…somehow I was right to think that it was you. And yet…, I doubted myself…doubted what I thought I knew. You were so good at it, an expert at spinning lies to fit your evil whims…such believable half-truths you spoke of…I often found myself questioning my suspicions… 'Is it really Aniki?' I asked myself countless times…yet out of all those times, there came no definite answer…"

I let out a breath…he sighed wistfully.

"…From then on I watched you more, but you were…you were too much…with those fabrications of yours that made me question my own sanity. Gradually my thoughts digressed from my early speculation, for indeed, to my knowledge the dead could not return to the living, and you had been dead for about a year, oh so very dead. I had seen your burial, I was there! Who was I to think that you had not gone to heaven…'Is he a friend of my Aniki? …A colleague perhaps?' I finally came to wonder…I was so confused."

My eyes scanned Sasuke's expression, no longer did he seem as angry as before…in fact, he seemed almost…lost…defeated, tired and weary from such thoughts of my mysterious self. So fickle was my guise, to bring him to such lengths of bafflement.

"It…it was only then…when that fire started, when it was too late, when you had not the chance to hide yourself in your attempt to save me that I found out that…you really were alive. And yet…you weren't at the same time. I thought you were a ghost…and yet here you are, a man…or so I would like to believe."

…It must've been excruciating for him, to have been so close to his Aniki yet so distanced by fate…it seemed to me that we were never meant to feel the touch of the other, as though Destiny had been irked by my sheer devotion for him…such devotion that has driven me to hurt him as I have done so for so long. …It pains me more to know…that the more I wanted to protect him, to shield him from my damnation, from my curse, from the filth of my festering sins and greed…the more I was killing him inside, making him feel as though his existence was but an accident and that he had no true purpose. Everything that made him an Uchiha, stripped away with the cogwheel of Time. No…stripped away by my hand…

That anger in him raged again, I could feel him starting to struggle against my vice grip…I slackened and he was free…he sat up straight and frowned.

"…What…exactly happened to you? Are you still the brother I once knew?" he said to me, so sure was I that he had an idea of what I was…and yet, he wanted to hear it from me.

My mask was off, all he waited for was for me to look up and show myself to him. I had run out of options, he had to know.

"Do you believe in Vampires?" I asked him.

He stilled.

…"I've become a Vampire", I said, plain and simple with no dramatic speech to accompany it…he did not need such frivolous things from me, and I dare not try to justify myself in the sense that I might further raise his hatred for me.

At first I saw him aghast as though the fear had not settled in just yet…but as his gaze fixed pointedly at my features he scowled in defiance. He knew it was true, all this time he must've had the idea…but he refused to believe.

He might've expected me to be a ghost…or a demon pretending to be his Aniki…but never a Vampire.

Because…we all know Vampires were beyond any sort of redemption.

"…Lies, a 'Vampire'? What do you think I am demon? An ignorant child?" he spat viciously, thinking that I was toying with him, "How could you make such a stupid claim, have you no shame? Come off it! Stop pretending to be my brother!"

A reverberating smack sounded throughout the silent room…he slapped me.

My left cheek stung…

His eyes were teary.

…I immediately felt guilty.

"How…dare you give me such a senseless alibi! I don't know what to think anymore…are my brother's tortured soul? Or are you a demon who haunts me and claims to be him! If you truly are my brother…then why can't you just stop being so secretive and tell me the truth? You coward! I've had enough of these lies!" he moved to strike me again but this time I was prepared, with one sudden move I caught both of his wrists in one hand and held them high above him.

Sasuke blinked. My movements were too fast for him to catch…

A moment of silence…he looked at me, at my eyes…

…My eyes…one thing about being a Vampire is that no matter what I do my eyes were always the most difficult to conceal…I could feed myself blood to make my complexion as normal as can be, I could paint my nails to hide the marble-like quality to them, my fangs only appeared in the midst of my hunger, but my eyes…oh…at a distance they seemed normal but in such closeness the irises would forever be bloodshot…

And if they were to gleam maliciously, one knew immediately to flee from me.

That moment, he watched my eyes…fascinated with them…they were wine-like that night for I had calmed down a bit. And in that sense, they were beautiful…sensual…captivatingly so. With that I'm sure deep down he truly believed what I had claimed to be, he had known in the very beginning that Evil shrouded my every move…but he couldn't grasp the notion of me being…this…perhaps somehow he pushed these ideas aside, hoping against all odds that I had manage to pull some sort of impossibly brilliant stunt to give the illusion that I was what I was… he stubbornly refused to admit it to me, choosing instead to stick to the bliss of ignorance. Deep inside Sasuke knew. He said it when he cursed me to my own Hell, when he called me an 'Unchanging Evil'. But at the face of this superstition, this witchcraft…He denied it all I'm sure.

"This-this is…" another awkward glance at my red orbs, "…I've had enough of this" he whispered looking down…mostly to himself I suspected, now all of a sudden out of breath…He gently freed himself from my grasp and then stood up without a word, choosing to leave the room as though he had not just witnessed my true nature.

I sat up and watched his retreating form, "Where are you going?" I said, but he gave no response, "I've told you what you've been aching to know…what happens to us now dear brother?"

He stopped…and looked back at me, his face a mask of indifference once more though his body trembled …I hated this side of him, hated it with a passion, "Well…Aniki…I don't really know…and I could care less what you are…Vampire, Spirit, Ghost, Demon…or what ever it is you claim to be. The truth remains that you've committed a grave fault against me, and I'm afraid your theatrics tonight won't earn my forgiveness. I don't care what happens now Itachi, I'm just…tired. I am sick of caring about you."

"…so you admit you still care?" I tried once more, hoping I could rile him up for the sake of keeping him with me.

But he did not relent, "…I'm tired. Good night."

"I won't leave you ever again Sasuke." I spoke softly…

"Yes you will…in fact, knowing you you'll probably be gone when I awake from slumber. If you truly want to correct all this…then by all means, disappear…so that I can at least pretend that this was all an awful dream."

"I cannot do that…I no longer have a reason to hide from you dear Otouto. You now know of what I am…of what curse has befallen me."

His lips pursed into a thin line, "I still refuse to believe you."

"Then I will prove it you Otouto, prove to you that I am indeed a Vampire, this wretched shell of a man once great, accursed with sin and disgrace…and when you've come to believe in my so-called 'lies' I will tell you everything, of why this tragedy has happened to us…of why I left you…I promise you that Sasuke."

I wanted him to at least look at me as I spoke, I wanted him to see my sincerity…but he refused to grace me with a glance, he did not even acknowledge my heartfelt promise and instead made a mockery out of it by closing the sliding door behind him as I continued to watch him…longingly. So bitter he was to me…I cannot stress enough to you how much his actions wounded me.

Alone I sat in that desolate room, the rain outside was starting to quiet down into a sleepy drizzle. I watched as the clouds began to make way for the stars, and I felt defeated for indeed, how far have I fallen when my little brother could make me lose myself as I have never before done so.

Before…I could bend him to my will and that would be that, but now that Sasuke…my once so gloriously submissive Sasuke has grown into this fine youth, I felt the full impact of how much authority I had lost over him. He no longer blindly followed me towards a pit of fire…he had become defiant, unnervingly cruel…my feelings betrayed me, I've lost to him by losing him.

The drizzle outside continued…and soon I felt sleepy…

Even though it was night, the time of the Vampires, I fell to the spell of slumber. I chose to lie on those accursed tatami mats, those mats that never ceased to taunt me with their familiarity…with the scent of spilled tea and tomatoes invading my senses as I slept.

I would prove myself to him even if it killed me.

o00o

My damp clothes from the night felt cool against my skin, the wind was blowing ever so slightly, so gently as though it meant to rock me into sleep…I welcomed the breeze, fresh and comforting as it was.

Then…all of a sudden…it was hot, scorching hot when I felt myself drawn back to consciousness. My whole body ached as though I was slowly being roasted in an open fire, memories of years ago flooded my mind, those images so grotesque…so disturbing even to the coldest of hearts. My clan…Uchiha…dead within the night…

Oh it haunted me. The pain was slow, gradual, heightening…

…So hot…burning…I couldn't care less, I had not the strength to…it was all too painful. My skin prickled, my lips dried and bled…I opened my eyes only to have them immediately blinded by the flaring light.

…the sun was rising, the presence of its harmful rays known to me, searing my flesh like heated metal. The room started to brighten up with hues of pink and yellow as it goes with sunrises. I sat up, my eyes still closed lest they be burnt again, I panicked…the night before came back to me in a rush of emotions. I remembered, I had to prove myself to Sasuke…I vowed that I would.

Backing away from the gradually invading sunlight, I soon found myself pressed firmly against a screen door, defenseless thing that I was at that moment. My common sense told me to open that door and flee into a darker room, but I chose not to, instead I sat there on the mats cross-legged and faced the coming morning head on. My eyes started to water, no, bleed…and I could smell that metallic scent coming forth from them in a never-ending flow of crimson. The blood tears landed on my parched lips…I felt the cut on my mouth throbbing in pain.

Thoughts of Sasuke came to me…those days we shared in innocence, how I missed them, yearned for them. And him, little adorable Sasuke of mine, whom I loved so much that it hurt…I remembered our youth, those secret messages of ours, our favorite past times…playing by the fish pond outside…staying in my room whenever the rain ruined our day…His tiny fingers fitting loosely into my hands…my hair tickling his cheek as I watched over him sleeping soundlessly into the night without a worry…

My skin suffered much as the light came in contact, I couldn't hold back the mortifying screams of agony that left me as my flesh reddened and seemed to slowly cut itself from the inside like a disease. It hurt like no other. From within me I sensed a heat stirring from the depths of my lungs, I could taste my blood…smell it…every inch of me was in agony…my fingers, oh how they bled mercilessly as well.

…He used to beg for me to let him sleep in my room, back then he thought I was everything. I was his day, his night, his everything…he refused to do anything without me there watching.

It was almost funny, the extent he had gone through to make sure that he could spend as much time with me as he could…

…dragging me into warms baths whenever I had the time so we could bathe together…

…attempting to bribe me with my favorite dango so that I would tell him about my day…

God I missed my childhood…

Sunrise was almost complete…the whole room was almost engulfed in that wretched light. I sat in my corner…refusing to seek shelter.

I would die there I thought as I leaned back to that screen door…and to think, that Sasuke was beyond that thin veil of wood and paper.

If he did not take me back into his arms and grant me forgiveness…then my immorality, be damned! I would rather burn and die. My sins would be waiting for me in Hell.

I laughed…pitying myself…grieving for myself…at long last, I was to die.

…I felt no fear…just hollowness, weariness…a moment of insanity perhaps.

I welcomed Death.

But then…the screen door behind me slid…I fell backwards.

Then found myself dragged from behind by a pair of arms.

Then…all was dark.

I knew he couldn't let me just die like that…he was just as stubborn as I was after all.

I couldn't help but give a small smile.

o00o

Necro: I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed this story, and also my other story **"A Brother's Promise"** of course, I really appreciate it. New readers, hello! Don't forget to drop a review! Peace! ITACHI!! I HEART YOUZ! SASUKE!! ME HERE 4 YOUZ!


	13. Chapter 13

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I, Necropolis demon, do not own Naruto okaaaaay? There, I said it.

Necro: Hmmm, what's there for me to say right now for the sake of this author's note? Sorry, can't think of anything much right now. Um, review my fic A Brother's Promise AND this fic of course. Kishimoto owes me a shower scene for Sasuke damn it! I want one! READ THE END AUTHOR'S NOTE OK! There's an important message that'll save you the time of asking me about it. grazie.

--o00o--

**Bloodlust**

Oh how I ached on that first night of healing from those sun-inflicted burns. Every time I moved from where I laid my skin stretched and bled a little more than I would've liked, it was mortifying, being this incapacitated, unable to sit up lest the pain shoot through my spine and make me cry out for mercy. I was pitiful…weak…a far cry from my former glory, and it was all because of my unconditional love.

Sasuke, this is what you do to me…

There seemed such a thin line between consciousness and sleep, soft fleeting touches feathering all over me, caressing with utmost care, and such gentleness with a dreamlike decalescence to it that made me think that it was all in my head. Would Sasuke really be so kind to me in my time of vulnerability? I pondered and thought that it was too farfetched, this much concern from him, he would've been a bit rough in his care for me, I thought.

The nights were cool and comforting, those hands of his placing a damp piece of cloth on my forehead as though I had a fever, of the going-ons of the Vampire body I had no idea of, so perhaps I did have a fever during those tranquil nights of healing. The days were not much different, the room was barred into an artificial night though the temperature from the day outside seeped through scarcely, it was still nice, this feeling of being cared for by the one you loved the most.

My healing was slow and agonizingly stagnant, the first few nights were the worst for Sasuke…I doubt he thought I would survive. Small burns all over my body and angry wounds here and there littered my being, but I was to an extent fine, I hadn't woken up yet…but I could hear everything that went on around me, I knew Sasuke shuffled around in a panic while I was in my apparent 'unconsciousness', I heard his heavy footsteps moving from room to room to gather bandages and washcloths and medicine for my numerous injuries. It took him the whole night to treat me properly and the rest of the morning to look after me to see if I needed re-bandaging, I bled a lot after all. He finally fell asleep in the afternoon only taking his tea as his breakfast and lunch.

All the while he was tending to me he constantly kept muttering under his breath about his 'stupid anti-hero Aniki' and about 'idiotic flammable Vampires'. It was funny really, amused me to no end. I would've laughed, if it didn't make my lungs hurt so much.

And then…came the night for me to stir into wakefulness, it was well over a week or so after the sunlight incident, I had healed but not so much, just enough for me to be conscious enough to respond. Sasuke had been fixing some sort of pasty concoction to apply to my wounds so that they would close up faster. I laid there on his futon, yes I knew it was his since it had his scent all over it, and began to slowly stir and groan in discomfort, my throat feeling dry and aching for blood.

"Itachi? Are you awake?" he asked, voice tinged with anticipation that was not intended to show. I scrunched up my eyes and sighed, so very typical of Sasuke to act like he didn't care. Very slowly I opened my eyes for the first time in what felt like eons of darkness, expecting to see Sasuke's angelic face hovering over my own with a look of pure happiness, eyes showing relief.

…I was wrong of course.

There was no worried look or sign of relief waiting for me, there hadn't even been a face hanging overhead to look at me straight in the eyes with bitter resentment and loathing.

…There wasn't even a ceiling to look at for that matter…Just, a relatively smudged up image of blurry colors, shapeless…faceless…a mess of things.

"Itachi?" came that voice again, this time laced with confusion. Why had I not spoken yet? Why was I staring blankly?

…my eyes had betrayed me, that voice was directly in front of me and yet I saw nothing…

I had gone blind.

Perhaps staring directly at the sunlight caused a lot more damage than I thought.

o00o

"What color is this one?"

"Brown…I believe…"

"…It's red."

"Oh…my apologies."

A sigh from both of us…

"At least I'm not completely blind." I said more out of boredom than for comfort.

"But you're still useless." came my Otouto's deadpan reply. We spent hours trying to fix my eyesight, using herbs and fragrances that would hopefully stimulate something in me and return my vision. Out of numerous attempts we failed, even contemplating the idea of calling for the village doctor to take a look at me, that was out of the question of course, the situation being that it was all too late into the night and that I looked all the more demonic than usual.

The lack of blood had already unmasked my true raw appearance, deathly pale alabaster skin, hair that was far too sleek to be normal, nails gleaming threateningly like polished ivory, fangs threatening to extend with unimaginable hunger…and my eyes…all the more inhumanely blood red despite being blinded.

The thought of me looking like that chills me yet I must accept this fact.

"I can't believe this, an all-powerful Vampire gone blind because of an act of defiance. Aren't you supposed to hide from the sunlight instead of bathing in it!? And you used to say that I was the foolish brother…idiotic Aniki." Such nagging from him was fine with me, these little insults of his; they comforted me, reminding me over and over that he still cared for me despite claiming that he didn't.

"Well, you didn't believe a word of what I said, now whose fault was that?"

"Are you insinuating that this was MY fault?" he scowled back at me…ah how I loved teasing him, just imagine the look one his face though, all red and annoyed.

I smirked, "Of course not my beloved Otouto, I know you would never let anything bad happen to your beloved Aniki." I teased him some more…oh if only you were there to see it, I didn't, visually impaired as I was at that time, but I'm guessing his face was the reddest shade one would ever see on anyone.

Yes…I really do wish I had seen his face first hand.

"Oh just shut it you, I don't even know why I'm bothering with your eyes."

That had piqued my interest, "Indeed, why are you even bothering to treat my injuries? I thought you were adamant with having nothing to do with me Otouto, not quite done washing your hands from my filth I see."

He was silent for a moment, no doubt watching me with that expression of his that tells you he's caught in between two enigmas, one being himself and the other being that voice of reason in his head that's most probably telling him to kill me then and there.

His reply was…well…

"…I was bored."

…That…definitely caught me off-guard.

"And so you decided to take me in?" I said.

His reply was, true to his word, bored…and drawling, "Yes, I admit I'm still curious about what happened to you…and I would just love to hear more of your excuse for leaving me…Twice…no matter how ludicrous it may be-" here I sensed a stern glare drilling into my right temple, "-and although you are, as I see it, a Liar, you are still something of relevance to me, a passing fancy if you will, just something to pass my time. Living alone in this house so secluded from human contact does get rather tiresome. Besides, you do have the intention of repenting although what good that will do for your already-damned soul I will never know, and I suppose I could use the company…however dull and useless it may be."

Ah, another insult. Predictable.

"But don't think that just because I have opened my home to you and that I have cared for your wounds means that I have forgiven you for everything you've done wrong to me, I have not! Go on and try to win back my good graces, though I warn you now that it won't work, you've wronged me far too much and for far too many times, it'll take more than an eternity for you to be forgiven by me if I ever will, immortal Vampire or not." he said, word upon word seeping through those soft lips in a never ending flow of tyranny, oh how he loved his newfound power over me…or so he'd like to think.

I sat up straight, sensing that he was at my right I turned towards him and in an attempt to feel more normal I looked straight at a fixed spot, hoping he was relatively within the area…I think I was staring at his shoulder though, "So…you give me this opportunity for forgiveness that will never be handed to me…how gracious of you dear brother." I said, sarcastic once more. And then again I felt that glare directed at me, as if poking at my nape with a sharp stick.

It was somewhat unnerving…being able to sense his glares as though they were tangible entities…I guess it really is true that looks can kill…especially Sasuke's.

"Would you just shut that mouth of yours before I do it for you! You may think this to be a farce of sorts, I being the little brother and you being the manipulative bastard brother that you are! I still hate you, don't make me repeat myself. You're not worth it." He spat at me…that venom in him resurfaced to burn me with his touch.

The next thing I knew his hands were tangled in my loose hair, clenching hard so as to hurt me…I felt his breath upon me, ghosting upon my face…I could smell the scent of that tea he was so fond of, a bit minty but more herbal and musky, it wasn't an unpleasant smell…but it reminded me too much of an old scent that I seemed to unconsciously feel uncomfortable with…perhaps I had smelled it once during my travels with Orochimaru, and perhaps there had been a bad memory to go with it…I didn't remember then, thus the reason for my dislike for it…yes…perhaps.

As I focused on that scent I drowned out the threats and insults he lashed me with, the pain from my scalp felt like a faraway sensation not bothering me in the least…I just focused on that smell, racking my brain for information as to why it bothered me so…and then…my thought digressed…all too suddenly for me, something else caught me attention, another scent that was too alluringly sweet for me to pass up.

Sasuke and I…sitting so close, his face a mere inch from mine, those lips moving in front my own…his breath mixing with mine and so deliciously close that I could breathe it in…the thought of that handsome face so close to mine, our noses almost touching, those obsidian eyes watching my every breath, my every move…So close…so beautifully human.

I smelled the blood in him, it wasn't quite like how a shark closes in when it catches scent of an open wound…oh no, it wasn't so primal as that…I…I simply sensed it there, no cuts, nothing…just…just that comforting pulsing heat running through him, a warmness in his very presence so near me…the way he blushed upon noticing the closeness of our faces…and of how I seemed to revel in his body heat. I felt it, warm and comforting blanket it was to me, that blood…pulsing and pulsing under my grasp…I felt it move under my palm…I could trace its path through those veins…practically taste that metallic substance in my mouth…

A loud smack resounded in the poorly lit room, my left check stung like mad…I had lost myself. Sasuke was looking at me with a mixed expression of concealed horror and aghast surprise…I could tell, I did not need my eyes to know how scared and insulted he was at that moment.

"Y-you…" his voice stammered. Unsure. Threatened. But more appalled than anything.

Apparently…I hadn't noticed that I was inching towards his wrist , grasping it tightly while he was scolding me…all too captured by that warm pulsing within him that fueled my hunger. It wasn't my fault…I was hungry after all…being starved for more than week while I was incapacitated. At least Sasuke was patient with me…but he did not enjoy it.

"I-"

"Forget it," he cut me off, "I know you're just aching to suck on some innocent's neck…the effects of being bloodless for a week must be starting to catch up with you. Go on, hunt or do what ever it is you Vampires do to obtain your fill of blood…just don't go bringing carcasses to this house and be sure to be tidy when you return, I'm not cleaning up any spilt blood on my tatami mats. I'll make sure you lick it clean if you spill any.

I smirked…I wanted to laugh at those words…please realize that to me, at that moment, in that scene, he sounded like a high-strung housewife warning her husband not to come home drunk or something of that sort. It seemed as though we were a parody of a normal home, Papa and Mama, Otousan and Okaasan…sweet lovers living under the same roof.

With a hunt in mind I got up from the futon, I thought I was doing fine, being able to stand at least but then as though on cue a wave of nausea hit me and sent me back down to where I laid. My hand automatically went to my throbbing head, it felt as though something had struck me although there had been nothing…the dizziness was simply that strong, I had underestimated my condition.

There came that annoyed sigh from above me and I once again felt those calculating eyes looking down at me mockingly, amused at my weakness, "It seems our poor Vampire hasn't the strength to even go out and feed himself…what a pity, I was hoping I could watch you jump onto my roof despite being blind…actually hoped you would fall off or something."

"You find this quite amusing brother?"

"Of course, seeing you so helpless fills me with much joy."

"I'm glad my debilitated self could be a source of amusement then" I smirked back to his blurred form, there was that scowl…

"You're pathetic!" he rose and moved to exit the room, his footstep stomping loudly just like how a child stomps away when they're frustrated, oh Sasuke…these childish habits of yours amuse me to no end.

"Wait."

"What is it know?" he glanced back at me, irritated, annoyed, but listening.

"I'm blind, I'm weak, I'm hungry…I can't hunt to remedy any of these." I said to him. He stilled and thought, obviously if he was to keep me around to torture me with his insults I had to be kept alive, being unable to feed myself was virtually allowing me to wither and die. He, sweet brother of mine, just found himself with a new dilemma.

"You are not my pet. You are my slave boy! Go feed yourself!" he yelled at me, all traces of his former calmness drained from him. Indeed, only I could raise such anger from him…for that I am proud of myself. He turned, determined to leave me to my whims…I chuckled softly to myself, he hadn't even reached the sliding door when he turned back dejectedly and strode towards me, frustrated at having to succumb to my needs.

He sat beside me again on the floor, fingers tapping on his thigh and that sour expression on his face in place whenever he was stuck with homework or the like. Ah, such familiarity warms my heart. "Well, what pray tell do you propose I do about this problem of yours? It's still the start of your sentence and already you're becoming a burden to me, I hate burdens."

"I suppose you could always find my food for me and-"

"I am not going out to kill people for you to gnaw on their necks."

I suppose that was obviously out of the question.

"Perhaps a substitute will suffice. It doesn't have to be human Sasuke, a stray dog…better yet a few rodents would be good. I wouldn't say it's a good meal but I will need to feed myself at least to the extent that I can gradually regain my strength so I can hunt humans if I become strong enough."

"A rat? I'm not cooking any rat! Nor am I butchering a dog!" he stood, blushing like mad. I rolled my blind eyes.

"Very well." A few minutes of silence enveloped us…my stomach was starting to growl and I let it, no use being embarrassed with it.

Finally he surrendered, "Ugh, fine! I'll-I'll find you your stupid animals! I'll look for some dead animal carcasses on the road, that'll teach you." He said, muttering the latter part as though I couldn't hear him.

"The prey has to be alive Otouto, Vampires don't eat from the dead." I called at him fondly as he closed the sliding door and went on his way.

"Damn you!" his voice came back at me, faint but audible through the thin screen of wood and paper. I smirked for the umpteenth time; the night was quite an amusement for me.

o00o

Sasuke returned a few hours later, sweaty and covered with grime, apparently troubled with the little chore of finding my food. He brought with him a dirty sack of fist-sized rodents, squirming around inside for freedom. The smell from the sack assaulted both our noses, a mixture of feces and some odd musk of dirt and mud…very unpleasant for him but unbearably odiferous to me.

"Here's your dinner, you better be a fast healer. I went through the circles of Hell and back just to get these putrid rats for you." He chucked the smelly sack at me forcefully and it landed on my lap, its contents pouring out in handfuls, some of the rats scurrying into the darkness while others lingered around me in confusion.

I sighed exasperatedly, "Must you make things so difficult for me Sasuke?" without even a second glance he vacated the room, leaving me with an abundant supply of rats. I think my Sasuke was…dare I think it, scared of the creatures, exiting so hastily like that.

Interesting.

A big fat rat ran past me, I grabbed him and immediately sank my fangs into his belly, in a few moments he was dead, the other rats went into a panic. I had to chase my dinner around the room for the rest of the night, thankful that most of them were slow and clumsy.

Sasuke must've had it worse, chasing them around in an open field, the image of him running around in a craze like a madman in the middle of knee-high grass made me uncharacteristically laugh out loud.

My lungs hurt a lot after that, but it was worth it.

For the first time in so many years, I felt contented.

o00o

Necro: GUYS! I **do not** intend to keep Itachi permanently blind ok! The manga scarred me enough! Thought I should tell you guys first before you start beating me with tomes of printed out scanlations of the Naruto Manga...and we all know there's a lot of em. Ouch. Gah! I had the strange urge to make Sasuke say "I AIN'T COOKIN' NO RAT" earlier when he was gonna refuse to get Itachi rats and dogs for dinner. Hehehe. Phew, it's been so hard for me to balance out school and fanfics, our subjects are so uber hard. But, meh, I can do anything! Mwahahahaha! Please read and review! Oh and check out my other fic: A Brother's Promise also ItaSasu, in chibi mode! Yes, yes that was a shameless plug. I am guilty.


	14. Chapter 14

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: Sigh…after weeks of fantasizing Itachi's resurrection and finding out in each and every time I check the manga he's dead, I have come in terms with the fact that I sadly do not and will not ever own Naruto.

Necro: So sorry for the extremely late update, I've been gone for like 6 months haven't I? I've grown irritated with the latest Twilight craze, gawd…Things have been really screwy here so I shan't keep you waiting with this author's note.

--o00o--

**Bloodlust**

My nights went on and on with Sasuke tending to my every need, albeit reluctantly, finding me live prey and treating my wounds which remarkably healed at an amazingly fast rate, so fast in fact that after only a fortnight under Sasuke's care I had lost most traces of external injury. The burns had disappeared and only a few more of the deeper wounds were left to heal. My eyes on the other hand were kept tightly closed, Sasuke had been adamant that I keep myself blindfolded for the time being so as to allow my eyesight ample time to return, perhaps if we waited for a few more nights my eyes might heal themselves as well, Sasuke thought.

So there I was, a lone Vampire feeding pathetically on rodents, a houseguest for those nights, though blind as I was I still managed to maneuver myself effectively throughout the house, only once or twice bumping into something which I knew caused Sasuke to stifle his mocking laughter and roll his eyes. Ah well, two could play it that way…and so I had proceeded to irk my gracious host by playfully bumping into him instead, knocking him down and lingering on top of him for a few seconds too long just like how I used to when we were younger, a smirk of triumph on my face every time I sensed the annoyed air that surrounded my sweet otouto.

He was simply so much fun to taunt.

Once every few days visitors would come to the house and chat with Sasuke, this I knew since I managed to overhear voices from the other room whilst I slept during the day. We were like this for a while, Sasuke entertained his random guests during the day with his poems and calligraphy and his ever present wit while making sure nobody entered the dark room at the far left which was sealed from the inside. The guests I knew were mostly old folk, come to tell tales of their youth or to simply bask in the presence of my brother and give him all sorts of trinkets and money for his time, after all it was Sasuke who could match them in talk of politics, but as the days progressed those who came to visit became curious of the sealed door, my room, sometimes opting to sneak a peak of its contents instead of asking their host.

Sasuke of course always caught those who attempted to peek in whilst I slept protected from the harsh sun's rays, and every time Sasuke caught someone sneaking around their suspicion rose even more, for what could a young educated man such as Sasuke have to hide?

Such things were starting to be an annoyance to me as well, the constant patter on my door by the curious and that sound of heavy breathing when their anticipation for discovering the truth was at its height…

After a month of this I decided it was about time I did something about such distractions.

o00o

One late afternoon when it was about time for the sun to set Sasuke was entertaining a small group of young men roughly around my mortal age who wanted to invite him to something, it had been a cloudy day and for the entire afternoon the skies were threatening to darken into a blanket of rain clouds. Sasuke was busy serving some hot tea, though not the same one he normally drinks, when one of his guests quietly strayed from the group huddled in the other room and began making his way down the dark hall towards my forbidden room. For a moment the young man hesitated upon arriving at my door, nervous yet anxious to know what secret he would soon behold. As quietly as possible he kneeled in position and laid his ear against the flimsy screen door trying to hear anything inside but after moments of silence he drew back and opted to poke a small hole through the thin sheet of paper framed with wood that Japanese doors are so often made of. But before a hole could be made the door slid open to the right with a loud bang…

At the sound the other occupants in the nearby room silenced, the young man crouching low outside my room was quiet and still, too embarrassed and afraid to look up at whomever his snooping had so clearly disturbed. Footsteps pounded towards us and in a few seconds Sasuke was in the hallway outside my room slightly panting, the other guests trailed after him with little delay.

All eyes were on me, I felt their stares directed at my form, probably scrutinizing every inch and thinking 'Who is this person?'

Of course I did not just reveal myself unprepared; I had fed aplenty earlier and was looking very much a human by any standard albeit a little bit paler and sadly blind. I still fashioned the white blindfold that Sasuke wanted me to cover my eyes with and was dressed in a fresh white yukata.

Finally the one who had disturbed me looked up and immediately got up and backed away towards Sasuke who was none too pleased with him.

"I-I'm sorry! I-I did not mean to disturb anyone Sasuke-san! I-I had no idea that you had someone-"

"Silence please, you're making my head hurt with your stuttering, it would be prudent for you to be more considerate to someone as…incapacitated as I." I said in that authoritative yet somewhat polite although meant to sound slightly irked tone that just seems so natural for us Uchihas.

In the silence that ensued I could practically hear the gears in Sasuke's head turning, formulating some alibi for our predicament.

The moment was broken of course after a few more seconds.

"Um…Sasuke-san, you didn't tell us you had company," said one of the others.

"Yes, who is This? And…why is he in one of your bedrooms?" came another, smug, this one…apparently jealous, an annoyance….yes, his blood was very tempting.

"I would much appreciate it if you would not refer to me as 'This', it is very rude to do so when the person referred to is in the vicinity. I'm sure you are aware." I said, again with an agreeable yet intimidating air that made the guests feel like scolded children, I enjoyed making them squirm uncomfortably…a pity I couldn't see it, though I'm sure they were squirming…like the little maggots they really were.

Sasuke was still glaring daggers at the fool who had revealed my presence to these people, highly irritated that such a lout would dare invade his privacy and succeed but more likely he was angry with himself for not being able to prevent the whole fiasco.

There were still several curious pairs of eyes watching me, waiting to know who I was.

"Sasuke-san?"

Sasuke replied, "Well, I suppose it's about time for others to know who my mysterious houseguest is, I've been taking care of him for a while since as you can see he is visually impaired and unable to care for himself…"

"But who is he?"

"…This is Itachi, he is…"

"-An old acquaintance" I interrupted, "I've been traveling for months in vain looking for Sasuke, it was most fortunate that I was able to run into him in this very town just when I thought that I had lost him forever. But please, I must insist that we continue this conversation in the other room where we may be seated, I grow weary of standing like this in the hallway."

Effortlessly I walked on ahead of them, moving like any normal person would though a bit too graceful and sure for a blind man. By then the sun had set and it was dark enough for me to move about freely as I pleased without worry. We all moved back to the other room and sat somewhat more amiably now that we were settled more comfortably. Sasuke shot me a few suspicious looks, wondering as to why I had come out into the open like I had, obviously he knew to leave everything to me and decided to let me spin whatever tale I so desired to cover up his sheltering of a Vampire being.

"So…Itachi-san…tell us about yourself, what did you mean when you said you were in a search for our honored Sasuke-san?" spoke the smug one. But I could hear his heart beating, thumping wildly against his chest, it was very clear to me that he was extremely intimidated by my presence as were the rest of the group.

"I am an old friend of Sasuke-chan's" -a flinch from Sasuke's direction and a surge of more jealousy from the guests-, "I've known him for the entirety of our childhood together, we were quite close you might say, practically siblings." I smirked at the irony.

A pretend sip of my tea, then I continued.

"There was a fire…a small boat on a river drifting away…Realize that I don't remember everything that has happened to us and more so to myself, I've lost patches of my memory during my travels I'm afraid or perhaps the trauma of that fiery hell we were in has made me forget, at one point I hadn't even the foggiest idea of where I was, places seem farfetched to me back then. I was lost in my search for answers. But that was until I came to this village purely by chance and found Sasuke, or rather he found me that I began recalling things more vividly when before there were only flashes of Sasuke's face and of fire." -another pause to take a pretend sip of my tea-, "I'm sure you are all curious about Sasuke's origins but I'm afraid I can scarcely provide you with anymore than what you and the rest of the village already know; that he is orphaned, very bright, and a blessing." I finished.

Feigning memory loss was the safest alibi…after all, I did not now the entirety of what the villagers knew of Sasuke and his life or what Sasuke may have revealed about himself to the villagers, it was better for me to be vague if not careful lest they clamor for more information.

"Itachi-san…I-I seem to recall seeing you in this village a month ago," spoke the one who had been spying at my door earlier, obviously he was trying to continue a civilized conversation with me but was too tense, "I think…I think I saw you at a local restaurant at which I am a regular customer…yes, the waitresses there made a bit of a fuss about you in fact. Saying things about your looks, quite superficial of them to take notice of your aristocratic jaw and wine-like eyes that…oh…oh dear…" his eyes widened in realization at my physical state, "I-I apologize…speaking of your eyes like that-" he said quickly, panicked.

"There is no need for apologies. One does tend to forget such trivial things as eyesight, why even Sasuke forgets I'm blind sometimes. This is quite recent…my eyes were very able a little over a month ago when Sasuke and I were reunited. Unfortunately my vision began fading soon after Sasuke found me, an old ailment of mine I'm afraid. He has been caring for my eyes in secret for weeks, taking up an interest in medicine along the way thus the reason why I kept to my room in utter silence. I needed much rest and treatment."

"But why the secrecy? Why not go to a physician for treatment?"

I sighed, "I personally asked him not to take me to anyone…I have grown distrustful of the world ever since the fire. Sasuke as I have known him very rarely fails in his endeavors. I expected that he could aid me and wanted me cured before he told anyone of my presence, though he is very young he has grown in our years apart, I am very aware of what he can and cannot accomplish."

…Triumph. It was all too easy conjuring lies for these imbeciles, it wasn't even a challenge. It wasn't hard for them to believe that a prodigy like Sasuke could very well possibly treat my eyes effectively. Truly.

The conversation drifted towards other lighter things, questions about my condition, inquiries of when I would be well enough to leave the house and go down to the village with Sasuke to be acquainted with the people in his new life. All these things I answered briefly with as much close truths as I could.

Pretty soon it was time for the guests to retire to their respective homes, they bade us 'goodnight' and left in an uneasy mood, a remnant of their discomfort in my presence. Once they left Sasuke's calm façade evaporated, he turned to me and glowered intensely as I waited for his outburst.

But there came no indignant cry, his voice was steady though you could hear the disapproval, "What were you thinking?" he started, "You could've cost me my new life had they discovered your secret! …and of all things…coming out at noon when the day hasn't even ended yet!"

"Come now Otouto, I timed my entrance quite accurately, it was dark by then. I say things went better than expected."

Raven orbs glared intensely at me, piercingly so, "Why didn't you consult me first? You inconsiderate ingrate!" he finally spat out with anger.

Ah…he was angry for not being made aware. Such trivialities.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, I thought only of how I could stop those who wander to my room. I didn't want you to have to keep me a secret indefinitely and be stuck here, unable to leave this house as you wish. If my attempt at restoring peace in the house angers you then by all means punish me as you will." I replied blankly.

He thought for a moment, looked at me, then softened somewhat, his disposition akin to what I would call befuddlement. For the span of my stay Sasuke had never once left the house, only having necessities such as food delivered so that he could tend to me always. Constantly at my side he was bound to me and my condition. I felt strongly about this…I did not want to cage him like a bird in this house that was once his sanctuary…I did not want him to be burdened by me and be tied down by my condition. It wasn't fair for him to be deprived of freedom. I must've been an insufferable annoyance to him.

I could tell that he felt lonely…

There was only silence on his behalf…the same with mine, then he stalked off abruptly, brushing away my sympathy with that blankness he'd acquired throughout the years, while I just stood there…listening to his fading footsteps. Noises…rummaging…from the other room, then that familiar scent of his tea came up once more, the smell still uncomfortable for me to deal with. Our conversation was over so I returned to my room.

…An hour later around dinner or breakfast for me, Sasuke came in, wordless, sitting cross-legged with me on my messy futon as he, for once, courteously handed me a live rat to feed on.

No words needed to be said, I knew he was thanking me…and I appreciated it.

I looked at him though blind as I was…and he looked at me, our souls locked together in a silent truce of sorts. The morsel squirmed in his firm grasp as it attempted to flee and I could feel the slight tremble in his posture as he held the disgusting creature…

…he really didn't like rats very much.

I smiled slightly, then reached for the rodent, my hands lingering a few seconds on top of his, then sinking my fangs into the rat as Sasuke reached into his sack to provide me with another one.

I was glad that I didn't have to run around to catch my food that night.

o00o

After our 'truce' if that's what you would call it, Sasuke was more amiable to me and a bit more easier to be around it, he didn't insult me as much nor did he resume with letting loose my meal, in fact, meal time became a routine for us with him handing me my rodents, sometimes rabbits if he was in a good mood, instead of leaving me to capture them. He still treated me with spite but at least I knew that he was only doing so out of habit.

Life was good, my health was improving, Sasuke seemed happier although he would never admit that, and though now there were people who came to the house not only to see Sasuke but also to meet me, the fuss was quite minimal. They never came in the day though, I figure Sasuke must have told them something about my condition, perhaps telling them that the day was when I often rested.

Not many people came, fortunately for me, most of them thinking that I was still in that delicate stage of mistrustfulness after the 'fire' and that I was still recovering from the psychological trauma, still…those who came were considerate, bringing with them all sorts of gifts to help my recovery and books for Sasuke to study. Once the local village doctor came to see if he could help, but Sasuke would not have any of it for who knows what the man would discover if he were to ever see my eyes, tinted not with mere blindness but by the demonic poison that flows within my veins.

Things were relatively peaceful…but as with all things in my life, there is the calm before the storm.

As I disillusioned myself with notions of living a peaceful life of semi-exile with Sasuke in the hopes of living out my existence in his presence, praying with each passing day that he would grant me forgiveness…turmoil floods my mind once more, haunting me and bringing me back from my dreams of contentment…taunting me as a I slept.

It called to me…Evil…called to me.

My thirst for human blood, after weeks of subduing it's call…came at last…

Not even Sasuke could prepare himself for it.

o00o

Necro: There we go, chap 14 up and running. Not much in this chap I admit, I wanted to put more but that stuff seemed to fit chap 15 better so yeah. I needed this one chapter to set Itachi up for the next chap which should have more of the juicy stuff in it, I'm still working on it. Read and Review please! Thank you so much for your patience guys. I will do my best to learn writing lemons!


	15. Chapter 15

Necropolis demon

Disclaimer: I've never been to Japan, what makes you think I could own Naruto?

Necro: First of all I would like to apologize for not updating 'A Brother's Promise' for you see in my attempt to write it as a very warm yet slightly sad fanfic I have reduced myself into a pile of mush that struggles with her oversensitivity. I've been taking some meds that my doctor prescribed and was told that being overly emotional could be one of the side-effects. I thought 'no biggie, I'm a tough girl!' but then I turned into this constanly PMSing bitch THERE I SAID IT. Teehee, NOT A DRUGGIE! Stop smirking this instant! Sigh. Secondly, I also must thank everyone for being patient with my recent long periods of unofficial hiatus in-between chapters so to make it all better I re-read everyone's reviews from the very beginning which were able to jolt me back into fanfics and started writing this chapter, I hope you all enjoy.

--o00o--

**Bloodlust**

For a long while I lived in the pretense of being a long lost friend of Sasuke's, blinded by some vague ailment but a person to be respected nonetheless. The people who came to visit were used to my presence after daylight the same as how I was gradually beginning to get accustomed with their increasing visits. The unofficial truce between my Otouto and I was still holding firm, of which I was most pleased. Nearly friendly banter between us was becoming my favorite past time as well, roughly in league with fake accidental hugs here and there that I'm quite sure Sasuke was well aware of but did not bother to reject.

How many times must I say it though? How many times could I say it? It was Heaven.

Months. I know, it shocked me as well the first time I realized it. Roughly half a year I suppose would be more accurate. Roughly half a year of living together since he discovered my…Nature. But all was well with my diet of vermin and rabbits and other such animals, I couldn't bring myself to complain about anything even if I tried…I was even all right with my blindness.

Once in a while though I had dreams, dark disturbing dreams that left me troubled for the rest of my waking hours…Dreams that clearly shook me terribly but were soon forgotten the moment I awoke like smoke disappearing from a candle's dying flame. Still the feeling of dread lingered in the atmosphere despite the nightmare, these episodes were quite rare though…

During these occurrences Sasuke would come into my room, his concealed worry radiating from his every pore. I would merely say 'I'm fine' and that was that. On a particular night though, I awoke in a more violent manner, sitting up straight and giving a gasp of surprise as though I was being attacked.

My heartbeat thudded loudly in my ears then eventually faded back to normal. Again, I couldn't remember what horrors I had dreamt.

I felt around the room and strained my ears for any sound…there was just Nature's silence. Sasuke must've left the house to buy a few things; by this time in our companionship he had progressed from never setting foot outside his property to being able to leave me alone at home for a few hours as long as it was still early nighttime.

I got up and changed into a new yukata, a recent gift from one of the villagers who noticed how I only had Sasuke's clothes to wear. With my fingers I idly combed through my long hair, working out the strands that managed to tangle during my uneasy slumber. It took a while for me to realize…but eventually I noticed how I was looking at moving shadows around me instead of total darkness…

It felt so foreign…I could actually see movement through my blindfold.

Slowly…anxiously…I untied the piece of cloth that covered my eyes and for the first time in six months, six whole months of nothing but darkness to look at, I saw my bedroom for the first time.

It was just as I imagined it in my head; the futon at the center with a low table by the left that had a few folded linens draped over it, sliding doors on three sides of the room with one leading to the hallway, the other to the view outside and the last one being a door to my closet which held a modest amount of yukata robes. The floors…those annoying tatami mats again.

The word Ecstatic couldn't even begin to describe how I felt with the return of my eyesight. I was simply too far off to even complain about how everything was in black, white and hues of gray…

The colors didn't really matter, or at least, at the moment I couldn't bother to care. After being visionless for so long I was simply glad to be able to see these crisp images around me. The colors of the world would return to me given time and patience…I knew they would…I just had to leave it to the all powerful Vampire blood in me.

Then to my surprise a sudden wave of nausea hit me and for the first time in a while I felt illness as mortal man would, the type wherein one feels vertiginous from long bouts of overexertion. Chills ran all over my body, the feeling of a cold sweat was coming…and then…the moment of weakness passed as quickly as it struck. It was then that I realized that I hungered for a hunt.

After being so pampered and lax in the recent months my body was yearning, begging for the thrill of hunting down live prey. Still not as strong as I used to be but strong enough to hunt alone I ventured out into the edge of the village and into the surrounding forest in search of my meal for the night, seeking out any animal unfortunate enough to come my way.

o00o

The whole experience was Invigorating, Intoxicating…the 'Thrill of the Kill' as they call it. Just striking down my prey and having them squirm helplessly in my mighty grasp before I stilled them with my kiss of death…it was like being drunk on blood which I probably was. Flashes of that night's meals passed fleetingly like lost memories of old. I soon found myself making up for lost time, moving in for the kill with all the skill and masterfulness of a Vampire as I had never done so before. I felt as elated as that night when Orochimaru bled me and fed me from him, I'd almost forgotten how good it felt to be a Vampire. Once or twice I stumbled as I pursued my game…and I admit that I was a mess, a bit clumsy after being so out of it for months but eventually I regained my momentum. The blood came pouring like an endless sea of ambrosia, the taste…the pulse of life…so closely felt. I was indeed drunk. Drunk, inebriated…satiated at long last.

By the time my mind lulled into a semi-calmed state I found myself standing in a meadow alone, finishing off a rather large rat clutched in my right hand. Satisfied and full of blood I dug a small hole and buried the dead rat then finally returned to the comfort of home.

When I arrived I was met by the horrid smell of Sasuke's tea, that musky bitterness that fills the whole house like a thick smog close to suffocating you if you weren't used to it. As to why Sasuke even drinks such a, in my opinion, foul beverage I will never know, just as I have never known why he has such a strange fondness of tomatoes.

I entered the room a little more clear-headed, Sasuke was there sitting on a cushion and in his hands he lightly held cup of his steaming tea, a teapot full of it set aside for when he runs out. At the edge of the low table I could see a basket filled with a few vegetables and fruits some other such things and some fresh meat, he must've noticed how we had run out of meat.

"Good evening Otouto," I spoke. I watched him with my colorless vision, noticing and reveling once more at the shape of his eyes, the nose, that jaw, and how his dark hair all the more contrasted with his pure white skin. There was a light shade of grey under his eyes, so slight that it took a while for me to notice it. I suppose he was tired that night, it was getting rather late after all.

Still refusing to meet my gaze he replied in a somewhat irritated tone I suppose, "Hn…you weren't in your bedroom, where were you? What were you doing out? You realize that you left the house unguarded don't you? What if some stray animal found its way inside and left a mess of my things?"

I sighed, "Only you would be worried about stray animals instead of stray burglars Otouto."

"Stolen furniture is one thing but dung is another." he takes a rather large sip from his tea and swallows then pours himself more with a slight grimace that he quickly tries to hide. I wonder again why he drinks that particular type of tea when he doesn't seem to like the taste as much as I would expect him to after having so much of it, but then I realize that his wince was because he had burnt his tongue with the still hot drink. I chuckled a bit at this moment of gracelessness on his part and thus received an embarrassed glare from him.

It was only then that he realized that I was looking at him, actually seeking his face and expression with my own two eyes.

His mouth opened a fraction then closed again, he blinked a few times and stood up all too quickly causing the cup of bitter tea to spill onto the clean tatami mats. Inwardly I smirked, down with the tea and father's taunting tatami mats at last.

"…Your eyes."

"Otouto…It's good to see your face again despite still being colorblind."

He was more surprised with this information then grew silent, apparently not knowing what to make of things. His eyes scanned my face once more, taking a long hard look at my partly healed eyes. His gaze then made its way down to my whole body and after seeing the state of disarray I was in his brow furrowed.

I realized just how awful my timing was, such a momentous event with the return of my sight…and here I was, covered in filth from head to toe. I glanced behind me and saw the ugly trail of muck I left behind…it hadn't even dawned to me that I had forgotten to wash up, it was beyond shameful for an Uchiha such as I.

Honestly, I expected Sasuke to yell, after all one of the things he dislikes most is untidiness. I doubt even the miracle of the return of my precious eyesight would make him any less annoyed with me. But instead of pointing out the mess in the condescending tone that I expected of him, he merely spoke in a tone that sounded conflicted and strained.

"Where…were you?" he asked me once more, this time his face was a stoic mask and he refused to look at me, instead opting to fix his gaze on the left wall. I figured he must've been very worried about me.

Gently I laid one of my dirty hands, still streaked with a messy substance I guessed to have been mud, on his shoulders and looked at him with an expression that I hoped he saw was apologetic.

"I was out hunting some wild game in the forest. The chase had gotten a little out of hand, I didn't realize I would get this dirty, it isn't like me…I suppose I fell in some muddy water at some point. You need not clean up the mess I made."

With a surprised look on his face he raised his head towards me, "…Wild game…muddy water…"

"Yes"

The smell of his tea continued to linger around us…

"…I see. And…what did tonight's game consist of? Did you enjoy yourself?" he asked, a tinge of uncertainty as though he was weighing his words more heavily than usual. Of this I thought strange, Sasuke never acted this way before…this slight hesitance in him irked me and I thought: 'Was he scared of me now that I could see? That now he had to be more careful around me?'…Nonsense. Pure nonsense.

…We have been together for months, he knows that there is nothing to fear from me, he knows that he need not feel wary around me. I've already sworn myself to him more times than I could possibly count, for more reasons than he could ever hope to fathom. I loved him, held Him closest to My heart, and though he did not know of just how much devotion I have for him, for his little quirks and oddities here and there, for his rare smiles and the way he thinks and feels things more intensely than what people are led to believe…I will always, always be there, his brother, his mentor, the only person who ever truly understands and the person who loves him most above all others. Though I am the Lover that could never be, the one person he would never come around to Love…cursing each thought of how we've both been conceived in the very same womb.

He couldn't possibly be frightened of me. He had no need to be. He knew that he was the one person I could, would never raise a hand against.

Perhaps…he feared that now that I had no need of his assistance I would leave him again…

That made sense to me. It made all the sense in the world…

"I was able to hunt a few rodents and some other animals that I can't really recall. My body has been trying to regenerate itself more so my appetite has increased a bit. But now that I can hunt you don't have to catch me anything."

"…All right. Just…make sure you dispose of the bodies properly."

"I will." with that he takes his seat focuses his attention once more to the spilled tea and proceeds to clean it up. I just look down at him, and watch as he wipes the table with a cloth in circular motions…a feeling of guilt bubbling within me.

Sasuke has always been the type to turn silent when he broods, right now I could tell he was in deep thought. I myself have never thought of what the healing of my eyes could mean for us, from this point on where were we to set sail for? Was he contemplating the same things I've been pondering to myself? Were we to stay living like this together? Would he allow it further?

Unable to know exactly what Sasuke was thinking…yet feeling the turmoil surging within him I could not help but kneel and slip my arms around him tight. His head raised slightly, surprised at the unexpected action…I could feel him stiffen within my hold but that just made me embrace him tighter…

I rested my chin on top of his head, basking in his body heat…and he too gradually relaxed into my touch, knowing that he could not fight it…if I felt like being affectionate he knew it was best to leave me to it. It has always been this way with us ever since I was mortal…though it has been long since I had him in my arms this way, jests and silly teasing aside, it felt familiar as always…it felt like coming home a long year's journey. He leaned back and sighed a heavy sigh, releasing the pent up pressure that seemed to have been weighing on his chest, strangling him to such heartache.

The wet rag he was using to clean up the spilled tea dropped to the floor…forgotten.

His frame…not as small as it was all those years ago but still fragile in my arms, still so young. I could feel every breath he made, the slight rise of his chest…his clothed back against my bare chest…his mouth slightly open…relaxed.

I was holding him so close to me, he couldn't move away even if he tried…and that made all the difference. I'd calmed his thoughts enough by now…

I pulled away a bit to whisper comfortingly into his ear and for a moment there came nothing, I felt the words refuse to leave my lips…I was nervous, so very nervous…But I had to know…

"Will I stay?" I whispered low.

It…was the question that has been haunting the both of us for a while, finally out in the open, spoken at last… The question it seemed was not directed only at Sasuke…but also to myself… 'Will I stay?' indeed…could I tell myself that I would for the sake of my beloved brother? …Yes.

Yes I would stay…if it were up to me I would stay with him till the very end, for as long as he would have me and even when he were to tire of me, I would stay and make him want me around longer, a day, a week, a month more together…years…and when my sweet Otouto would grow to be unable to care for himself, stricken by old age…

Death gods…take me with you.

"Sasuke…Otouto…Will you let me stay?" I let my arms fall to my sides, letting him go. I had no control from here on…it was all up to him.

He just sits up straight with his back still towards me, probably thinking of all the times I left him, of all the wretched times I hurt him. He turns and I can see the look of determination on his face. He Wants me to stay.

"I suppose I could do with more entertainment from you. Just make sure you pull your own weight, brother or not I will not be lodging a freeloader." he says to me, Uchiha smirk in place.

The heavy weight between us lifts and I give him a smirk back. Although he doesn't say it outright I know he has forgiven me for everything and I know that he wants me with him.

…Brothers once more.

o00o

Being an Uchiha that meant of course that negotiations were to be made, it was in our nature after all to be so invested in intricacies like that even with family, they were simple enough arrangements though since we were already used to each other so much. I cleaned up my mess and handed Sasuke my soiled yukata after having bathed and changed into something clean. Without any sort of explanation Sasuke started a small bonfire outside and burned the damaged yukata as well as the rags I had used in cleaning up.

It was a personal mystery to me, how I failed to notice those rips on the yukata…but then again the night was filled with much confusion as it was. I made a mental note to be more attentive from that point on, I couldn't have my Otouto thinking I was losing my touch now could I?

We decided to keep my eyes bound when people came, Sasuke had pointed out to me that my eyes had a dangerously blood red glint that he doubted could pass for normal. The shade of red in them was more vibrant than what they used to be, it would be difficult to explain why I looked like I had been crying out blood even with the lie of having a rare ailment.

Other than that and a condition to tolerate that accursed tea smell; he could tell by now that it was a wholly unpleasant scent to me and was probably making me promise to endure it on purpose…hn, and they say garlic is what repels us vampires, we were fine.

That night we were both thankful that we didn't have any visitors as I was free to offer my help with preparing dinner. In the end Sasuke ate much of the delicious dinner while I pretended to taste small bits despite having already fed on a lot of blood earlier just for the sake of pretending that we were back in those old days wherein we both sat at the dinner table, eating our meals in comfortable silence while waiting for our parents to arrive home from a clan meeting.

Make-believe is a wonderful thing.

o00o

Necro: Read and Review please! I like long and interesting reviews that INSPIRE! By the way could you guys recommend me some **good ItaSasu fics **that are worth the read. I don't want to read a story that's built on Lemons and has no sustainable plot. There are Lemon stories there that are just so HOT but sad to say there are some that just don't click. There's so much emotional potential between these two yet people jump on the Lemon wagon too quickly. Sigh* **Dark Green Poop **once said that that stuff could lead to something less than a good read, or something along those lines. I personally don't think this story should have a Lemon scene, that would just take up too much of a chapter though I could probably still make it work. I don't know, I'm still not sure what to do with Lemons. To Lemon or not to Lemon! I've always been a firm believer of beautiful and romantic stories that don't revolve around a sex scene but instead a complex plotline and intelligently crafted characters. I don't want to ruin the magic. Insert sparkles.

I've also decided that after the last chapter of this fic, hopefully I'll be able to finish this, I am going to post an Author's Review Chapter, yeah, I'm gonna be a critic to myself when this story's done basically because I wanna share my views on this story with anyone who's willing to read them. Again let's hope I finish this story. If anyone wants to give suggestions for **'A Brother's Promise' **cause I know there have been a lot of people waiting for it to move, you can email your ideas to me and I'll be sure to credit you of I use them or at least if I'm inspired by something you suggest I'll mention you. Just check my profile page to contact me, also I'm happy to say that I now have a Skype account, same email. Thanks!


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